


Phoenix

by IAmAllYetNotAtAll



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: AU Where the Spirits do more stuff, Aang comes out of the ice three years early, Agni Kai (Avatar), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, Zuko Joins The Gaang Early (Avatar), Zuko is blessed by the Sun Spirit, but like canon type stuff happens, oh Gaang is babyfied, slightly more graphic but still canon typical
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-22
Updated: 2021-01-16
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:21:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 85,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26035588
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IAmAllYetNotAtAll/pseuds/IAmAllYetNotAtAll
Summary: During the Agni Kai between the Fire Lord and the Crown Prince, the sun dies momentarily. A few days later, an iceberg breaks and the last Airbender awakens to a world at war.A vision leads a thirteen-year-old Zuko to the Southern Water Tribe to find the Avatar and hide him from his own father.He can only pretend so long that the war and the Avatar aren't fundamentally entangled.
Relationships: Azula & Zuko (Avatar), Iroh & Zuko (Avatar), The Gaang & Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 228
Kudos: 1088
Collections: A:tla, AtLA <25k fics to read, Quality Fics





	1. The Agni Kai

**Author's Note:**

> Hello there :) 
> 
> This story is planned to span the three seasons in some semblance of order. Some parts that aren't changed much from the show will be skimmed over, but overall this story will focus on the Gaang growing together over three years rather than one, and Zuko is there from the get-go (sort of).
> 
> So this story starts with 13!Zuko, 12!Sokka, 12!Aang and 11!Katara. (In theory, 9!Toph but she won't show up for a while, like in the show).
> 
> Enjoy!

" _How can you betray them?_ "

Is that not what's important here? 

There are fifty-four lives at risk. No one from the fourty-first division will survive if this plan goes through and it's his duty as their prince to protect them from that fate. 

And now all those lives rest entirely on him. If General Bujing wins, his father will side with him and allow the sacrifice out of principal. 

If Zuko wins... This will finally be his time to prove himself, both to his father and all those war Generals.

He's kneeling away from his opponent with a robe over his back, and he feels perfectly confident. This is the right thing to do. He's certain if he'd bit back his words his father would have told off the General instead; they can't _do_ this. It'd be as barbaric as the horror stories he's heard about the poles, or the savagery used by the Air Nomads when they'd attacked the Fire Nation.

They're above such disgusting tactics.

More importantly, they're above throwing away the lives of their own people to accomplish it.

He stands. His eyes pass over two of the Fire Sages standing on his side of the platform. There's something in their expressions he can't quite place.

He turns.

The world falls out from under him.

No.

_No no no no no._

Ozai stands before him in traditional Agni Kai attire.

There's a rushing in his ears. He hears his father speak, but the words don't make sense. His father couldn't possibly... Perhaps speaking out like that in his war room was an insult, but he can't agree with the General's idea. He wouldn't. Would he?

Agni Kai's have a lot of variances, depending on the participants and their status and the reason behind the duel in the first place, and it has also changed a lot in the past one hundred years. Sozin changed the regulations to allow the duelists to kill their opponent if they feel the slight was worth it, where before it would always end at first blood or burn.

Would his father...

Zuko doesn't allow himself a moment to consider it. He drops to his knees and pleads for mercy.

He knows he has no chance of winning, but that's not why he's refusing to fight. He won't duel his father and that's fully about honour. How dishonorable is it for a Crown Prince to duel his own father, the Fire Lord? And over a matter that seems like a non-debate. 

Why is this happening?

"I am your loyal son!"

There's no reaction, no hesitation, no doubt. Ozai wants this Agni Kai to occur. 

"I _won't_ fight you."

" _Suffering_ will be your teacher."

His left hand curls around the side of his head, fingertips digging into his skin to keep him in place. His right hand, aflame, presses into his face and dries his tears. Palm against his eye, fingers up into his hair and over his ear.

He screams, the sound torn out of his throat by bloody claws. To his own ears, it sounds foreign.

It echoes in the otherwise silent Agni Kai arena.

Zuko doesn't see Iroh look away, or Azula and Zhao grin at his misery. General Bujing stares blankly at the spectacle, as do many of the Generals familiar with Ozai, but some glance away or share a look of bewilderment. A large number of the populace surrounding the arena can't watch and close their eyes. They can't block the sound of the young boy screaming in pain, but that is out of their control.

Yet... all of that, for just a moment.

In that second between fire and skin and suffering, there is an initial reaction to the horrible sight.

And then, another one.

The world goes dark for just a split second. The fire continues but gazes move upward.

"What..." Zhao mumbles under his breath.

Iroh manages to tear his gaze from his beloved nephew to look up at the sky.

This Agni Kai was set for midday when the sun is at its peak. And now in the center of the sky above them, it flickers.

There and gone. There... and gone. Hardly long enough in existence or out of it to be caught by eye. So quickly does it come and go, that some wonder if they are only seeing things. If the issue lies with them and not the sun itself.

That thought only lasts a handful of seconds. Suddenly, the sun is gone completely and the world is bathed in blue-tinged darkness. The fire around Ozai's fist fades. 

Everyone feels a sudden chill, but the Firebenders feel _colder_. The fire that rests in the center of their souls has been extinguished.

Zuko remains kneeling at his feet with his head bowed and drops of blood forming a small pool by his knees.

Ozai holds his hand in front of him and his fingers curl and uncurl in the move any Firebender knows is to create a palm flame. Nothing appears, and he, too, looks up at the empty sky.

Everyone starts to whisper, fear and confusion spreading through the crowd and for a moment the boy is forgotten.

Iroh glances at Azula, also trying and failing to make a flame appear and if she can't even do it, then it's clear no one can.

Amidst the chaos, Iroh steps onto the platform with his eyes on Zuko. He knows better than anyone else here what this means. At least in part. His motivation right now remains his nephew because the matter of the sun is not as important to him.

Iroh drops to his knees beside Zuko while Ozai is occupied with frowning at the empty sky and he places a gentle hand on his shoulder. It's the left side of his face that's been injured and Iroh is at his right; he can't see the damage and his stomach knots in anticipation and fear. The smell of burnt flesh is fresh around them, and there's blood and what's probably torn flesh on Ozai's hand. Iroh bites back his disgust to keep himself focused.

A couple of the Fire Sages start approaching, perhaps with advice or concerns or even with answers, but they don't get far.

As soon as he feels his Uncle's presence at his side, Zuko looks up.

The moment his eyes lock onto Ozai's the sun returns.

Rays of gold cover the Fire Nation once more and the Firebenders can feel their inner flame reignite as quickly as it had been snuffed out. It no longer flickers and stays solid where it had vanished only moments ago.

Relief washes over them and they find their attention returning to the stage. The sun is back, what seems like for good, and the two royals are the next most interesting thing.

They see their Fire Lord looking down at his son with contempt. A flame appears in his palm, proof that it's returned, and his fingers curl in to kill it.

Before him is their Crown Prince - they watch Zuko rub his palm across his left eye and break eye contact with Ozai to stare down at his hand. It's dark red and brown, a mix of blood and ash. He runs the side of a finger over his eye to clean it as much as he can and allows his left eye to open fully. Those that can see that side of his face _wonder_. How is there even an eye left? How is the boy alive?

He turns to his uncle. He, and all those that can see his expression, are startled by the sudden stubborn glint in his eyes - somehow more golden and brighter than they've ever been before. The tears are gone and so is the young boy too worried about honour to fight his own father.

Iroh's eyes flicker to the left side of Zuko's face and the entire area where Ozai had put his flame is darkened, tinged grey and brown with ash and dried blood. It reaches from the side of his nose up and around his ear and over his temple; a patch of hair has been burnt to the roots. The skin beneath that outer layer of dirt, only visible where Zuko had tried to wipe it away, appears pink, but Iroh can't quite make it out. The flesh, beneath the dirt, appears somehow intact. It's so unlike any burn Iroh has seen, but that enforces what he already knows.

"Uncle," Zuko says. His tone, like his eyes, doesn't match the one from only a minute ago. There is no begging, no request for mercy there. "I'm alright. Please return to your place; the Agni Kai is not finished."

This is the Zuko Iroh has always known lay beneath the surface. Honourable, stubborn, loyal to a fault. A Zuko he'd always believed could flourish if taken out from under Ozai's shadow.

There is something beneath the surface that isn't quite Zuko, either. Feral anger and pride that he's never felt comfortable in. A vengeful glint in his eyes that's out of place to the eager teenager from an hour earlier.

His nephew should be too injured to speak. He should have lost consciousness from the sheer pain of the wound inflicted upon him. He should be despondent.

But his gaze doesn't waver and Iroh can only nod.

"As you wish, Prince Zuko." He hesitantly stands, eyes fixed on his nephew to see if his state changes, but it doesn't. He steps off the edge and returns to his niece's side.

She, and Zhao, no longer look pleased - _good_. 

Everyone is too shocked by what's occurred to say anything. The Fire Sages hesitate for only a moment before returning to their place outside the platform.

None of them, from the moment Ozai had lit his hand on fire, expected Zuko to stand up from his kneeling position. Too injured, too ashamed, perhaps. He shouldn't be awake. The scent of burnt flesh, familiar to most Firebenders from war or simply training accidents, permeates over the first rows of people but Zuko shows no signs of an injury to match.

Zuko presses one hand to the ground as leverage and pushes himself to his feet. He takes a couple of steps back away from Ozai, but his eyes don't stray from his father's.

His hands form the shape of a flame in front of his chest and he bows forward only slightly while keeping their gazes locked. It's disrespect wrapped in respect and his father knows it. His lips purse and fade into a thin white line and his jaw clenches visibly.

"Fire Lord, please allow me the opportunity to complete the Agni Kai. To first burn, as per the old tradition."

Ozai is in a position to deny him this request; the mess on his face could count as the end to their duel. Iroh hopes for a denial but knows that won't serve his brother's purpose.

No one is shocked by the slight nod.

"Very well," is spat out venomously.

Zuko uprights himself and both of them swiftly fall into their favoured fighting stances.

Ozai presses forward first with a simple blast of fire, going on the offensive as the preferred method of combat for most Firebenders. Zuko is prepared and cuts through the incoming flame and sends out his own.

There appears the next surprise of the day.

Where Ozai's flame approaches him in bleeding red with a hint of orange, Zuko's cuts through it in full gold with flecks of colour - purple, blue, green, and more. The father dodges to the side and his body turns to follow the fading fire. The son strikes again with a flame larger than the last without any form of hesitance toward the change in his bending.

Ozai blocks and throws himself back into the fight, thoughts of golden fire withering as he focuses on the duel.

It only cements Iroh's convictions even further about what's occurred. For the first time since he'd seen Ozai step up onto the platform, he thinks Zuko might actually stand a chance.

Ozai closes the space between them and Zuko ducks and steps around him. Ozai's leg comes out but Zuko leaps over it and throws a careless blast over his shoulder. It's ruthless in the way that Firebending is; as graceful as playing with flames might seem, there is no forgetting the danger of it compared to the other three elements.

There's no doubt that the Fire Lord is a master Firebender and he fights like one. He gives no second to breathe and sends out flames with every movement. The Crown Prince's own difficulties with Firebending are not widely known outside of his family and teachers and very few people in the crowd are caught off guard by Zuko's ability to match his opponent step for step.

He's gotten better in the last year under Iroh's tutelage, yes, but not this much better.

Azula's expression darkens and Iroh's brightens with hope.

Agni Kai's are not known for taking very long. Firebending can be rather exhausting if done for long periods of time, even Zuko's seemingly endless stamina does have an end, and it also doesn't typically take long for fire to eventually find its mark.

Throughout their training, Zuko has proven an expert in stubbornness; Iroh has always likened him to Earthbenders, in his own musings. His Firebending is straightforward and direct; he will face any enemy head on, fire to fire because that's what he believes is best. Just like his father and sister. This Zuko is using the agility and speed that he's always had to his advantage for once and dodges without needing to cut through flames.

He ducks under Ozai's arm, spins away, and manages to tap the side of his hand against the outside of his forearm.

It's not a deep burn, not like the one meant for his face, but there is without a doubt a thin red line that can't be missed.

A shared shock spreads through the audience.

He follows his momentum through and lands behind his father. He takes a few steps back while Ozai spins on his heel to face him with a hand ready for another strike.

Zuko's feet come together. He makes the shape of a flame with his hands and bows forward, this time his gaze actually dropping down to the ground.

"I believe that would be first burn, Fire Lord," he says as if there would be any room to contest it. Ozai can only grit his teeth - he's the one who agreed to these terms. "Thank you for the opportunity to prove myself and to... _learn_ from you. I will not make the same mistake twice."

He falls out of the bow and when he looks up again his eyes are hard and cold. Iroh has never seen his brother in his nephew, both of his children took more after their mother, but that look is purely Ozai and it makes a shiver run down his spine.

Ozai is forced by tradition to return the bow. He doesn't say anything.

He turns and leaves the arena.

Zuko's hands drop and he straightens once more, but there's something in his expression that doesn't seem quite right. His shoulders droop and that coldness in his eyes melts.

Iroh steps onto the platform and approaches him.

"Prince Zuko?" he inquires softly.

Zuko meets his gaze with a small smile. He knows now what seems wrong; it's fatigue. Adrenaline has run its course.

The crowd starts to disperse with the entertainment now over, but there are whispers of a vanishing sun and golden fire that will be widespread through the entire Fire Nation within days.

"Uncle," Zuko greets in return. His voice has softened; the previous hardness is gone.

"Let's get you inside," he offers.

He avoids the urge to wrap an arm around him, either over his shoulders or around his arm, as that wouldn't be proper in front of the current audience. His hand hovers close by as Zuko starts walking and his steps are slightly shaky.

"That sounds like a good idea," he agrees.

They step off the platform and are followed by the quiet Fire Sages and a frowning Azula. They'd held the Agni Kair outside the palace and it's a short walk until they're within its walls and out of sight of the nobility and generals.

Ozai is waiting for them around a corner, his arms crossed over his chest and his expression even crosser.

Zuko hesitates, but as Iroh keeps walking and there are people behind them, he forces himself to keep going. 

Most of the sages continue on past his father, but one stops by Iroh and says, "I'll notify a healer to expect Prince Zuko shortly unless you would rather I stay to escort him?"

"No, that's alright," Iroh says, "We'll be there soon. Thank you."

The Fire Sage bows his head and leaves the family behind.

Azula stops somewhere to the side where she can see both her father and brother and Iroh stays by his nephew's side. There is very little support he can provide when faced with the Fire Lord without risking things being worse for Zuko, but he hopes that his presence can be some form of comfort.

"Father," Zuko greets him.

Ozai has no patience for pleasantries. He steps nearer to Zuko and his right hand reaches out to clasp his wrist. His grip is tight and hot and Zuko hisses lightly at the pain but does his best to make no outward show of displeasure. He flips his hand palm-up to see where the golden fire had come from.

"What have you done?" he growls out. His grip tightens further. "What is the meaning of this?"

"Ozai..." Iroh says with a hint of reprimand but his brother ignores him.

"I-I don't know, I..." Zuko, only all of thirteen, stares at his angry father with big eyes while his free hand starts to tremble.

"It appears," Iroh says a little louder and Ozai turns his dark gaze to him, "that our Crown Prince has been blessed. Likely by-"

"Blessed?" Ozai spits out. He drops Zuko's wrist as if disgusted by the very touch. "The boy's been nothing but a curse on our family since he was born."

Ozai turns on his heel and leaves them, stalking out just as he'd done at the end of the Agni Kai. That's always been his brother's response to situations that he can't control, and clearly, he has never grown out of it. Entirely unsurprising, Azula takes her leave too, not wanting to inquire further about what being 'blessed' means.

"Uncle?"

Zuko's holding his hand close to his chest and he's cradling his wrist. Iroh glances down and sucks in a deep breath. There's a red handprint around the joint, but that's hardly visible through the blood and ash. Zuko tries to wipe it, but it's thick and it only spreads. It's an exact match to what's happened to his face.

"Let's get you to the healer."

Without anyone to see them, Iroh gently entwines their arms and guides Zuko to the infirmary.

Zuko climbs into the bed and seats himself against the headboard, and Iroh sits on a chair beside him. The healer takes a look over the injury over his eye and ear, and then his wrist. It takes a while to wipe away the outer layer of grime, but beneath it is pink flesh. The edge of the wounded skin is slightly raised like scarred skin would be and is a stark white. Not pale like Fire Nation skin is, but fully white. It's around the pink over his eye and ear and in the form of a handprint around his wrist.

His left eye can't open completely, and the skin over his left ear is tight, but it looks like no burn any of them have ever seen.

"How does it feel, Prince Zuko?"

"It... doesn't really hurt."

Iroh can only watch for now. The healer is good, but even she can't make much of this injury.

"And how is your hearing?" she asks, gesturing vaguely toward his ear.

"It's... fine, I think? A little duller."

She snaps her fingers a few inches from his left ear.

"Quite a bit duller," he admits.

"And let's try this..." She hands him a wooden spoon and instructs him to hold it over his right eye. "How's your left eye doing?"

"It's... blurry."

"I see."

She grabs a scroll and unfurls it to show a few large printed words. She holds it up in front of him, "tell me when you can't read this anymore."

She takes a couple of slow steps backward, and she's not even a foot away when he says, "Wait. Stop. I... that's it, I think. I can't read it anymore."

She sets down the scroll and looks him over a bit longer. A couple of minutes pass and she admits, "Prince Zuko, I have to admit that I've never seen a wound like this before, so this is my closest approximation to what I believe has happened."

He nods and she continues. Her eyes don't meet his. She spreads ointment over the burns and starts dressing them, "I believe the majority of the wound is beneath the surface. The top layer of skin is lightly burnt, but the real damage occurred to the nerves beneath it. It's possible that your vision and hearing improve slightly over time, but it's unlikely that they'll ever return to the way they were before."

"I understand," he says.

"Keep the areas bandaged for a few hours and if there's any swelling or discharge please come see me. Put the ointment on at least for the next week, it'll keep the skin from drying out while it heals. I can also give you some pain medicine to go if you'd like."

"No, I'm fine," he says.

"Then have a good day, Prince Zuko. Don't hesitate to come by if you have any concerns."

"I will. Thank you, Lain."

He's out of the bed and back by his uncle's side in moments with a bandaged eye and wrist and a small container of burn ointment. Iroh escorts him to his bedroom and it's a quiet few minutes.

In his room, he sits on his bed and Iroh takes a seat beside him. His fingers brush over the bandage over his eye. It's more sensitive than painful, and he doesn't object to the touch.

"Truthfully, Prince Zuko, how are you feeling?"

"I'm alright, Uncle. I... it'll take getting used to, but when have things ever been easy?" His grin is dark and Iroh frowns.

He lets it fall away and says, "I said earlier that you'd been blessed. Do you know what I meant by it?"

Zuko hesitates for a second, but it's only him and his uncle and that's never been a place of lies before and he won't start now.

"Sort of? I... remember all that's happened, but, and I know this will sound crazy, but it felt like someone else was doing it for me, if that makes any sense. I... I couldn't have beaten my father. You know that."

"You are a very talented Firebender," Iroh says kindly, "but you have a lot of learning until you are at your father's level. I did feel as though there was more to what was happening than what I could see. Can you tell me how you felt at the time?"

"It was like someone else was controlling my movements, and I know how that sounds, but... I just felt so angry, but it wasn't my anger? I... there was pain, and then I was fighting again, and then I won and I'm not sure how any of that happened."

"I believe, Zuko, that you have been blessed by Agni himself," Iroh says.

Zuko laughs coldly, "I doubt the spirits have any interest in a curse, Uncle," he says, recounting his father's comment. "I know something's happened, but it can't be Agni."

"Don't sell yourself short, Prince Zuko. You are still the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation; it's no wonder that Agni has turned His attention to you."

"But I'm only a curse. Azula will be a much better Fire Lord. You know that as well as I do."

"Did your mother ever tell you about your birth?" Iroh asks, seemingly changing the subject.

"Not really," he says. "I was born in the middle of winter, and everyone knows that's unlucky for Firebenders."

"That's true," Iroh agrees, "but that's only a superstition. As it is, you were born on the coldest day of winter, and you were also born early."

"That's no surprise."

"You were born _very_ early. Everyone thought you wouldn't live to see the sun rise. Your survival was considered a _miracle_. When I saw you, you were practically blue from cold, and by morning you were a healthy baby boy. You should have died and you didn't - and today you should have burnt but you didn't. I had always believed that you were blessed by the Sun Spirit. He gave you a second chance at life because he believed in you; He saw your destiny and knew you would be greater than anyone else before you."

"I'll never be what my father wants," Zuko says dejectedly.

"Spirits care very little for the wants of mortals. He can see much more than you can possibly imagine. Will you make a flame for me, please?"

Zuko carefully cups his hands in front of him and brings forth a small flame. It's still gold with a hint of rainbow at its center.

"This is a dragon's fire, Zuko. Agni has gifted this to you and He guided you in the Agni Kai against your father. You are blessed; there's no doubt about it."

"I don't feel blessed," he admits.

"Does the sky feel blessed to be above us? Does the earth feel blessed to carry us? Can you feel different about what you've always been?"

Zuko rolls his eyes, the left shooting a pang of pain through the socket and he knows not to do that again any time soon.

"I'm a little too tired for your musings, Uncle. Maybe we should pick this back up after I've slept."

"Of course, Prince Zuko," he says. "I hope you won't mind if I stay here a little longer?"

"If you must."

He huffs loudly to prove a point only he understands and curls under the blankets. Iroh gets up for only a moment to close all the curtains to hide the afternoon sun and bring some darkness to the room. Before he's even returned to his spot Zuko has fallen asleep.

Iroh sits vigil for the ensuing hours of rest. There are no visitors.


	2. The Vision

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zuko's had a vision

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apparently I'm writing chapter 7? So here's another a bit early. 
> 
> Enjoy :)

_The sun is setting at the tip of the ocean, spreading red and pink and orange along the horizon. Clear water slides over the coast of pale sand only steps from the Fire Lord's home on Ember Island. The push and pull of an incoming Tui and ever-present La a gentle constant in the calm weather._

_He's seated at the ocean's edge with his feet buried in the sand, hands behind him to hold his weight. The waves touch the tips of his toes and are ever so slowly getting nearer._

_As Crown Prince, he wears more traditional and rich robes befitting his title, but he glances down and he's in the play clothes he'd worn as a child while running through his mother's garden with a happy Azula at his heels. The bottom of his phoenix tail brushes against his shoulder and the length is as he knows it._

_Shifting sand is evidence of approaching steps coming from directly behind him._

_He can't turn his head to see the intruder to his moment of respite. He can't move at all._

_It doesn't scare him. His eyes are fixed on the ocean and that's fine by him._

_"Zuko."_

_It's not a voice he recognizes, but it sounds friendly._

_"Zuko?"_

_He tries to respond. He wants to invite them to sit with him so they can enjoy the sunset together. His lips won't part._

_"Zuko!"_

_The sun is halfway below the horizon and suddenly it flickers out of existence. The breath is pulled out of him and he gasps but the air won't come. His chest burns, his fingers curl deeper into the sand._

_"Can you hear me?"_

_A prickle of pain starts up behind his left eye. He blinks. The sun is still gone and the world is bathed in blue._

_"Can you-"_

_Fire erupts out of his left eye; the right can see the flames dance over his skin. His mouth opens to scream but there is no noise. Only pain. So much pain._

_"-hear me? Zuko, please."_

_The sun flickers back to life in a brilliant blast of gold and a gentle brush of wind, as soft as a caress, wipes the fire off his face. He sucks in a deep breath and tears of relief release._

_The horizon is now painted in all sorts of colours, from reds to blues to greens and purples like a rainbow stretched thin. It's glorious._

_"Good luck, Prince Zuko."_

**\---**

Zuko wakes and the sun is still shining and he feels sluggish. His hand immediately moves up to his eye where the skin is sensitive but certainly not on fire anymore. He sits up and glances around the room while trying to catch his breath and take in his surroundings.

The curtains are drawn open and the sunlight is slightly shaded from where it's risen in the east, but he's confident it had been no later than late afternoon when he'd fallen asleep. It's certainly his own bedroom; he knows his bed and dresser and his mother's theatre masks and his dao blades on the wall.

Iroh is seated by one of the windows at his low table, pillow cushioning his knees and a familiar teacup in his hands. The teapot is on the desk along with a second cup presumably for Zuko, and next to it are a plate of bread and butter and one of the theatre scrolls he keeps tucked away spread open for Iroh to read. His uncle smiles at him and the tension falls away.

"Good morning, Prince Zuko. I was beginning to think I'd have to wake you myself."

"How long have I been asleep?" he asks.

"Long enough for some proper healing," Iroh says and begins preparing a cup for him. "Somewhere between fifteen to sixteen hours, I'd say."

"Fif- Uncle! You shouldn't have let me sleep so long, Father..." he cuts himself off. He'll be displeased, but it's not like Zuko's been doing anything right lately anyway.

"Come sit with me," Iroh says. He moves the tea and bread across from him.

Zuko slowly shoves off the blankets and stands a bit unsteady on his feet but mostly due to hunger than any sort of pain. He hits his shin on the table on the way, but his uncle doesn't comment on it. He sits beside his uncle and starts into the food and sips at the tea (Jasmine - his favourite, of course) in between bites.

Setting the cup down, his eyes land on his left wrist and he freezes halfway through chewing. He lowers the last bit of bread back on the plate and brings his wrist closer for inspection.

Around the joint the flesh is sun pink with a clear outline of palm and fingers in raised white skin. His father has never been known for gentle touches, and he recognizes the outline as one he's seen bruised into his skin before in the exact same place, but it's never looked like this. When his father had grasped him he'd felt the heat, but it hadn't been hot enough to burn through more than the top layer of skin.

He's gotten red fingertips from sneaking scones out of the oven for Azula and her big pleading eyes, and the inside of his hands will glow pink after too much Firebending without good control, and even a wayward flame might leave a touch of colour behind. But it doesn't _last_.

Perhaps for non-Firebenders the burns heal slower, but Zuko's never had anything stick after a good night's rest (and certainly not after a very long night's rest). Considering he'd gotten ointment too, he has a sinking feeling that this isn't going to fade any time soon.

"Oh," he realizes, "Did you remove the bandaging?"

Iroh nods, "sometime last night. I also added more ointment."

"Thank you."

He doesn't ask because he knows neither his father nor Azula have come to see him. He pretends that doesn't sting.

"It's healing well enough from what I can see. Are you in any pain? And how is your vision?"

"It doesn't hurt much. I'd compare it to a sunburn. It's sensitive, but only when I touch it. As for," he gestures lamely to his eye, "same as yesterday."

"I thought that might be the case."

Iroh is kind enough not to point out that he's nearly knocked over his teacup several times already - slow movement is all that's helping with his depth perception. His hearing seems functional enough, perhaps a bit duller, but he's not sure he'll truly know the extent until it's least convenient. That's normally how things work out for him.

Zuko finishes the food and tea; even if it's his favourite it's still leaf water and he mostly drinks it to keep Uncle happy. He pours more for Iroh before getting up. A little less ravenous, his focus turns to the mirror in his room and he walks over to it.

It's tall enough to give him a full view of himself, useful for making sure everything is in place before leaving the room. For now, he only stares at his face and the day-old ensemble is ignored.

His fingers reach up to trace pink flesh. There's a shine to it from the ointment, but otherwise, it's only pink over the entire space where his father had placed his hand with a white outline. The thumbprint goes up to his hairline at his temple, the hair roots singed, and the other four fingers curl around his left ear, with the pinky just below it. It's obvious how the injury came about from its shape. Where most of the fire had rested looks better than it should - even the skin around his eye is just a dark pink though he can't open the eyelid completely. 

Unlike with normal burns, the skin doesn't have an angry, red, puckered look, nor is it leathery like one that's been long healed. It feels fairly normal; only discoloured. His eyelashes are burnt off, as is his left eyebrow, and he wonders briefly if they'll grow back. Or the hair around his temple.

He hadn't noticed before, but it doesn't catch him by surprise that his uncle must have undone his phoenix tail, cleared out any of the burnt hair, and tied his hair in a quick braid.

He's normally a light sleeper. And Iroh may be a big bad General to the Fire Nation, and to the world, but to Zuko he's only ever been gentle.

"My father really..." he says, mostly to actually get the words out into the air.

Sadly enough, he'd only woken disoriented about the time of day and not at all about the events that had occurred. He was challenged to an Agni Kai by his father and was branded for his disrespect. That isn't, of itself, shocking.

"I'm afraid so, Prince Zuko," Iroh confirms.

"Did I really win?" he asks because of it all, _that_ is the part that doesn't make sense.

"You did," Iroh says proudly. "You later told me that you hadn't felt quite yourself at the time."

"And you think I'm blessed... by Agni."

"I am certain of it. He guided you in the Agni Kai."

"I'm not good enough to win." Which is a confirmation of its own.

"Not yet, but someday I feel you'll be the best of us."

"You said that yesterday, too."

"I meant it."

Zuko traces the injury, wondering what scar, if any, will be left behind. "I'll never be as good a Firebender as Azula, or you. Or father." 

"Perhaps not," Iroh says with a shrug of his shoulders that Zuko spots out of the corner of his eye. He bristles for a half second, despite knowing the truth of the words he'd only himself spoken a moment ago. "But you are much more than just a Firebender, Prince Zuko. You will prove your worth in and out of the battleground in due time."

"You sound so sure."

"I've always trusted the spirits," he says, "and I will admit that I haven't always trusted my instincts, but I _do_ trust them here."

Zuko nods. "Thank you."

For staying vigil overnight, as evidence of the circles under his eyes. For making sure he had food and tea when he woke up. For taking him to the healer when no one else cared to. For being the first to step on the platform after his father set his face on fire. For caring at all.

He says none of that, but Iroh knows there are layers to the 'thank you'.

"It's my pleasure, Prince Zuko." Iroh stands and Zuko politely ignores the crack of weary bones. "And I'm afraid that I must take my leave for a little while. I have some important meetings to attend that I can't reschedule."

"Oh, okay."

"You should stay in your room for the day. Get some rest." Iroh stops by his side and meets his gaze in the mirror.

"I slept for nearly a full day!"

"Get some rest," he repeats. "It might not look like it on the outside, but you are still healing." He rests a gentle hand on his shoulder and squeezes briefly.

"If you say so."

"I'll be free by dinner, and we'll eat together."

"Alright," Zuko agrees.

Iroh gives him a hug before leaving, one that Zuko doesn't mind returning.

It really doesn't take long of him being in his room alone to start feeling a little stir crazy.

He takes a nice long bath, reapplies his ointment, and gets into some fresh clothes. He brushes his hair and reties it in the high phoenix tail. He spends a long while in front of the mirror, staring at his own face.

Most nobles are generally ignorant to the state of affairs and the war, despite making decisions about it. He and Azula spent enough of their childhood sneaking around to see people they shouldn't, and have seen all sorts of injuries. Earthbenders like to crush hands and knees, leaving horrible damage in their wake that never heal. Waterbenders have left soldiers drowned on dry land or have left deep cuts with sharp ice.

Fire leaves behind its own injuries, and sometimes soldiers turn against each other, or against civilians, or sometimes attacks simply backfire. Sometimes an inexperienced child sets a house on fire. Sometimes it isn't an accident.

He has seen burnt hands and arms and legs. He has seen burnt faces.

His reflection doesn't quite match, but it does enough that most will know what it means. A branded prince - how does that look to others? Can a Fire Lord stand over his people with this kind of wound? Proof of his own bending turned against him?

Does his father feel any regret?

He shakes his head to dispel the thoughts.

This is a lesson hard-learned, that's all. Move on.

He can't spend the whole day in bed, but he chooses not to go far. Not that he wants to either; he hits his entire left side against the doorframe on his way out and knows it'll take a while to get used to the vision loss. He's not interested in letting anyone see him smack himself on walls or knock things over.

His mother's garden is nearby and where he often goes for relaxation. First, he stops by the kitchens for some more bread, a bit for him, but mostly not. He trails his left hand along the wall to guide him.

Despite his father's orders, he's always been fairly acquainted with all their staff. He knows most of their names, and that of their children and most of them smile sadly at him. He averts his gaze, takes the food, and leaves.

He sits by the pond and spends a long while tossing bits of bread to the turtleducks. He's always been attached to them, they're fairly cute and kind creatures, but he thinks most of his attachment comes from memories of his mother. One crawls into his lap and he continuously touches the water and spreads it over the shell to keep it wet, the way they like it.

He doesn't look up when he hears footsteps.

It's Azula - he knows her sounds. Her breathing, always a little heavy, and steps, always purposeful, rarely gentle because she wants to announce her presence. She's too strong to bother with stealth. Zuko, in retaliation, has done a lot to learn how to be as stealthy as possible. It doesn't work against Azula, but he's had great results with everyone else.

For siblings who don't have much in common and try to avoid spending time together as much as possible, sometimes he thinks they know each other better than anyone else in the world.

"Hey, dumdum," she greets in that tone she pretends is genuine.

She sits on the bench behind him and he doesn't turn to look at her.

He hates that she hates him - he can't stand the look in her eyes when she looks at him. He spent too many years of his life loving her unconditionally. He's not even sure where it all went so wrong.

"Azula."

"How'd you do it?" she asks, straight to the point.

"Do what?" he asks tiredly.

"You're too weak to win an Agni Kai against father, so you must have cheated. How? What did you do?"

"I don't know," he says honestly. Azula always lies, but he doesn't. He's soft. There's no point trying to lie. "Uncle said something about a blessing, but..."

" _You_? Blessed? That's funny." He can hear the sneer in her voice.

"That's what I thought," he admits. "But I don't know what else you want me to say. I don't know how I won."

He can feel her stare on his back.

He breaks off another small piece of bread and holds it out over the water for the nearest turtleduck.

"People are talking, you know? About the sun going dark for a minute. They think you caused it." 

It's not quite accusatory. It's her way of trying to get him to say something to incriminate himself and he won't fall for it.

"I doubt I have the power to _kill the sun_."

"Hm. Maybe they are giving you too much credit. But it would explain it, wouldn't it? Do you have a theory?"

He shakes his head, "I don't."

His uncle's theories about a blessing are already outlandish. He doesn't want to think he had anything to do with the sun fading for nearly a full minute.

She stands and crouches by his left side. On purpose, of course.

"How's your face?"

He knows she doesn't care, but a part of him hopes she still does. At least a little bit.

"Fine."

She pokes his cheekbone, right at the edge of the burn, and he can't help the flinch.

"Should be worse for that kind of burn," she points out.

"It should," he agrees.

She huffs.

Zuko tends to be a bit angry, he'll admit it. He's hot-headed and snaps easily and Azula has a way of pushing the right buttons. He's not in the mood to play her games or to be played, and he's not reacting the way he normally would. There's too much on his mind.

"Whatever."

She grabs the bread out of his hands and throws it into the water, startling all the turtleducks into a fit of squawking. She saunters off and once she's out of sight he fishes it back out. He breaks off soggy pieces and tries to win them back. It's slow going, but it works.

There's a lot on his mind.

Even surrounded by memories of his mother, he can't quite make sense of it.

It's nearing dinner time when he leaves the garden. He stops by the kitchen to ask them to send hin and Iroh's dinner to his uncle's rooms, rather than the dining hall.

Ozai never joins them anyway. And if Azula walks in and their father isn't there she tends to grab her food and go back to her room without saying anything. Zuko and Iroh are used to eating together. 

His uncle's rooms include a sitting room and a side door that leads to his bedroom. It's just off the West Wing that hosts his and Azula's quarters. He pops in and sits down awaiting his uncle. He brings what he's currently reading with him to keep him busy until the food and Iroh arrive.

The food is first, but Iroh isn't much later.

"Prince Zuko," Iroh greets him with a smile when he steps into the room. He goes to his nephew and clasps him on the shoulder, "how are you doing?"

"I'm well, Uncle. Spent a bit of time in the garden, but didn't do much of anything all day as you asked."

"I'm glad."

"Dinner arrived a couple of minutes ago. I thought we could eat here if that works for you?"

"Of course," Iroh agrees. "Give me a moment to get changed."

Zuko nods and his uncle heads into his bedchamber. He takes the time to set their dinner and puts away his reading material.

Iroh returns in more comfortable robes and takes the seat across from Zuko and the two start into their meal.

After so much healing, Zuko's still rather hungry but takes his time with the meal.

"You seem to have much on your mind, nephew. Anything you'd like to share?" Iroh prompts halfway through dinner.

Zuko gets straight to the point.

"I... think I might have had a vision," he says.

Iroh sets down his chopsticks to look at him, "Oh, is that so?"

Shyly, he plays with his food and doesn't meet his gaze, "I think so. It was during..." He glances around the room and satisfied with their privacy says, "When the sun died. I think. I couldn't see it, but I felt it. What do you know about the Avatar?"

"The last anyone's heard is that they were an Airbender born over a hundred years ago; before the war started. We don't know if they died and were reborn, or if they've been in hiding this whole time."

"I see..." He finally looks at his uncle. "I think I saw him in my vision. I think he's an Airbender, but he's alive. But also... he's still a boy, about my age."

"What else did you see?" Iroh asks.

"Do you think it's real? It could have been a hallucination. It... it hurt, a lot, at the start." 

Pain can do all sorts of things.

"Spirits work in strange ways, Prince Zuko. Whatever you saw, I believe it's a message. Sometimes straightforward, sometimes a little convoluted, but it was meant for you to see."

Zuko looks around again, a clear sign of his paranoia.

"I saw him, Uncle. With the Airbender tattoos and everything. In the Southern Water Tribe, I believe. From my lessons, they say the Southern Tribe is smaller than the Northern one, so I'm pretty sure that's where he is. And... it was a lot of flashes. I saw a lot of small events really quickly. And he... Uncle, he's my age, or even younger, and father... he kills him. Because he's the Avatar. But he's a boy."

Iroh stares thoughtfully at the table and says nothing.

"Do you think he would?" Zuko asks softly. "He's... so young. He seemed so happy and _nice_ and... Father wouldn't, would he?"

Iroh takes in a deep breath. 

"Your father will do whatever it takes to protect his status as Fire Lord."

"That doesn't mean killing the boy," Zuko protests, albeit half-heartedly.

"The Avatar is an enemy of the war. This war, Prince Zuko, has thrown the world out of balance. And the Avatar is meant to protect that balance. The only way the Fire Nation will stop the war is if the Fire Lord is removed from his throne and replaced with someone who will end the war."

"But he's a _child_."

"As are you, and he still put a flaming hand to your face."

"That's different."

"Is it?"

"I had to learn a lesson! It's different!" Zuko protests more adamantly, "I did this to myself. But... the Avatar..." 

Zuko's not quite sure who he's defending anymore.

"Can you describe for me what you saw? Perhaps talking about it will clear up some things."

Zuko sighs, "Alright. Let's see... I saw, this sounds strange, but we were on Ember Island? It was me and the boy, and we were sitting in the sand. He was... nice, I suppose. I also saw him in this iceberg, and it broke apart and he was inside of it? I don't know what that's supposed to mean. There wasn't really an order, like I said. It was a lot of quick flashing images. So much of it was us just talking and travelling. I saw Ba Sing Se and the Northern Water Tribe. And then... then I saw father... He struck him with lightning. He fell and I think he died. He _must_ have died. He was lying there, and I remember there was screaming, and... and crying. I remember feeling grief. I can still feel that pain when I think about it." His hand floats over his heart where emits the phantom pain.

He looks at his uncle and honestly says, "I felt a lot of things in those few seconds, but I know I don't want him to die. There's this feeling in my chest that hasn't gone away since I woke up and I don't know what to do."

"This is an open space for you to speak, Zuko." He notices the loss of title and knows this is his Uncle being genuine, "What do you feel you should do?"

"I don't want him to die," he says. "It feels like my duty. You keep saying this thing about being blessed, well I think the spirits want me to keep the Avatar alive."

"And how do you believe we can do this?"

"I don't know. Can I do anything? Father..." His left eye throbs briefly as an uncomfortable reminder. "What can I do without Father getting upset?"

"I have a few ideas," Iroh says, "We can make some arrangements, but I want you to have a goal and a plan."

Zuko, still paranoid, glances around the room one last time and then meets his uncle's gaze and nods.

"Okay."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Next chappie hopefully this weekend.
> 
> I'd love to hear your thoughts :)
> 
> Also - you can find me on Tumblr under the same Username as well.


	3. The Goodbye

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zuko and Iroh leave the Fire Nation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shorter chappie :) Enjoy!

Iroh meets with Ozai the next morning.

"Fire Lord, as you must have noticed, your son appears blessed by spirits. I would like your permission to take him to Ember Island for a few weeks; I feel he might need some time away from the palace to meditate on this revelation. Prince Zuko has so much promise as your heir, it would be a shame not to nurture his growth."

No words would convince Ozai of anything he wasn't already considering.

"If you insist," he says as if he's granting a huge favour.

As if hardly two days ago he wouldn't have killed his own son to make his heir the more favourable second child.

His brother must know there is something more to this proposition as much as Iroh knows there is more to his agreement.

"Thank you, Fire Lord."

It's too easy, and he knows it.

He doesn't say anything about it. He takes it as it is. Iroh has more up his sleeve than his brother could ever attain; he knows how to make partnerships rather than force cooperation with fear.

He returns to his nephew and they make their plans.

Zuko has always been stubbornly fixed when it came to his goals - nothing could change his mind once it'd been made up. Ozai had hated his fascination with blades, but Zuko had been relentless and, after agreeing to even further Firebending training, his father agreed to get him a teacher. And it was the best one gold could find, of course. Master Piandao had sometimes looked at him a little sadly, which Zuko ignored, and had often called him headstrong.

It had taken merely a couple of weeks before his skill with dao blades, his chosen weapon, had surpassed that of his Firebending.

That single-minded drive is there now when his end goal is ' _don't let father kill the Avatar_ ' and he doesn't stop to think about anything in the middle. Iroh loves and knows his nephew and had anticipated that he'd have to handle most of the actual planning.

"We can't just walk into the South Pole, Prince Zuko," Iroh says with a gentle smile. "We'll have to prove our allegiance."

"But we're _not_ allies."

That Zuko is determined to ' _save the Avatar_ ' without renouncing the Fire Nation is a headache Iroh is not getting into yet. He'll touch on the topic later when his nephew is more prepared for the conversation that these two goals - helping the Avatar and being loyal to his Father - don't work in tandem.

"I understand, but we can't go there as their enemy, either. We need to go prepared to bargain. If they do have the Avatar, they'll have no reason to think we aren't there to capture him. He is, in theory, our enemy."

"Fine."

"Perhaps some form of reparation will work. It's unlikely they'll accept money, they'd probably see it as an insult, but maybe there's something physical we can offer."

"What about some of that stuff in storage?"

"Which storage?"

"The ones in the East Wing. There are a few big rooms with stuff we... took from the other countries. Azula and I used to go and play with some of it, and I'm pretty sure I remember seeing some scrolls with their symbol. Maybe some artworks, too? It's all dusty, no one will know anything's missing."

"That sounds like a great idea, Prince Zuko. But we'll have to be smart about what we take out, we don't want anyone to see us carrying anything."

Zuko shrugs, "I'll go later tonight after everyone's gone to sleep."

"I'll continue to think about our options, but that's a good start. Now, I'll be able to secure us a ship, but..." 

His uncle shares a general outline of a plan that Zuko adds onto in small, unhelpful, parts.

It's not exactly simple, but his uncle has resources. Zuko, smartly, chooses not to question any of it.

Within a couple of days they've commandeered a ship to take them to Ember Island. They have a crew and their supplies. Zuko has smuggled the stolen (to be returned) goods into some of his trunks. They're all ready to go in the morning, but... there's one thing giving him pause.

"You still awake?" He asks while already opening up his sister's door. 

Something is thrown his way that looks like some sort of hair clip but he sidesteps around it.

"I'll take that as a yes."

"What do you want?" she asks from her spot at her vanity. She's brushing out her hair and already dressed for bed.

He leans on the doorframe and crosses his arms over his chest. She shifts enough to see him in her mirror, though he can't see her reflection in turn.

"I'm leaving tomorrow morning with Uncle. We'll be staying at our place on Ember Island for a while, I'm not sure how long."

" _And_?" She presses.

He hasn't had a chance to sit with her to talk about it, but he knows she's aware from general rumours around the palace.

"I know you don't want to come with us, but you can, if you want to," he offers. He tries to keep his voice nonchalant.

He doesn't see her expression, but he pictures a raised brow and a general unimpressed look.

"I'd rather drink poison than spend weeks stuck with you and that old coot," she says unkindly and tacks on. "If you come back talking in proverbs, you'll be the one drinking poison."

"I'd never," he says. "Just... take care, I guess."

"Sure. Was that all?"

He hesitates, but it's a losing battle.

"Yeah, that's it. I don't know if I'll see you tomorrow morning, so I'll, uh, see you. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Zuzu."

He straightens and takes a step forward. His lips part, but he stops himself. She doesn't want to hear anything he has to say.

He doesn't want to leave her behind, but he knows she won't see things the way he does. She'll see the Avatar as a threat - she'll want to deliver him to their father. He's not good enough with words to convince her that what he's doing is right. She loves their father more, she'll always side with him.

He shakes his head and leaves her with that.

There's nothing else to say.

After a restless sleep, he grabs his last few belongings and steps onto the ship with his uncle by his side; his father and sister are nowhere to be seen. 

The large steel ship takes them to Ember Island. It only takes a couple of hours with the tides in their favour. They unload any possessions to the house and the crew takes off.

That's the first step of the plan. 

They spend a couple of nights on Ember Island waiting for the next step of the plan to kick in. Zuko clears out his slightly dusty room and hangs up a few articles of clothing and rearranges some of his things. His uncle says it's best to make it look like they were actually there, should anyone come by. It's not something Zuko would have thought to do.

On the second night, he sits at his father's desk and writes a letter to his sister.

Iroh brings it into town for delivery.

The next day they're back at sea in another steel boat that's holding more crew than necessary, all of them chosen carefully by his uncle for their loyalties. They've left behind some of their belongings and are moving on with only the necessities.

They keep going.

**OoOoO**

_Dear Azula,_

_I hope this letter finds you well._

_I know you hate pleasantries, so that's as far as I'll go with that._

_It might be a while until I'm home again. I should have said this in person, but I know how you'll react. I can even picture your expression, and hear the way your voice sounds as you insult me. But it's only the truth. I wish you would have come with us._

_I hope the palace isn't too lonely._

_Try not to get into any trouble while I'm not around to take the blame for you._

_Your brother,_   
_Zuko_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. In the canon-verse, Zuko leaves because he's banished and I feel that's where most of his canon anger comes from. Obvs Zuko has anger issues, but it'll come out somewhat differently in this story than in the show. Also, because he's leaving of his own volition, I feel that Zuko would think about Azula more here than what we see in canon. She's not so much a rival here as she's the person he's leaving behind. I also love siblings, sue me.
> 
> I'm hoping to do better by characters in this story, as much as I can. Azula included. 
> 
> At least I promise to do my best!


	4. The Prisoners

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zuko and Iroh make their way to the Southern Water Tribe. They make a stop on the way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mild triggers warnings; mention of self-harm, not in the usual sense but still applies. Mention of physical abuse and poor living conditions. Nothing really graphic.

A few days after leaving Ember Island, they have eleven guests on their ship and it's all thanks to luck.

It started with a wayward comment during one of Iroh's meetings before they left the palace about some prisoners being moved from Sunset Island Prison to Luai Stronghold. Then the request sent by messenger hawk for Admiral Shenzu to do the transporting is intercepted. They anchor at Sunset Island's port in their Fire Nation ship and Lieutenant Jee steps off with a fake order to take charge of eleven Water Tribe prisoners.

They all shuffle on in what might have been clothes years ago but are now just drags and metal handcuffs. It's clear they've been prisoners for a while - none of them have any fat left on them; they're all sunken cheeks and thin wrists. He doesn't know where they were captured, if they're from the Southern or Northern Tribe. He knows they don't make many ventures to the North, but they've caught the occasional supply ship. Iroh assumes they won't mind so much, so long as it's freedom.

More proof of the length of their imprisonment - none of them say anything through the entire exchange. They walk onto his ship and stand in a line with their heads bowed waiting for instructions.

That's where he and Iroh find them when they come up from below deck once they've left port and have put some distance between them and the island.

"At ease," Zuko tries, but no one moves so much as a hairsbreadth.

He stands in front of them with his uncle by his side and some of the crew around them, though most of them are more focused on their own tasks.

"I am Prince Zuko, son of Lady Ursa and Fire Lord Ozai. I've brought you onto my ship today not as prisoners, but as guests. Lieutenant Jee, please remove their handcuffs."

It's once the metal cuffs are unlocked and their hands freed that some of them start to move, but it's only slight glances to their neighbours. None of them voice their concerns.

"I'll be bringing you to the Southern Water Tribe. We have some small detours, but I expect we'll arrive within a week. In the meantime, you'll be treated as honorable guests," at this he gives a pointed glance around the ship but no one so far has given him any pushback. His uncle has chosen wisely. "You'll be supplied some new clothing more fit for the climate and you'll have regular meals with the rest of the crew. You're also welcome to wander the ship as you like, so long as you don't get in the crew's way. I'm sure you're hungry so we'll get you started on that in a moment. Any questions?"

Silence.

Zuko looks over at his uncle for support. He'd practiced what he'd say in the quiet of his room; he knows he didn't fumble. The message should be clear enough. His uncle only shrugs. 

He'd come prepared for anger, disbelief even, but not this. How long _had_ they been imprisoned?

He clears his throat, "okay. Um. Thank you. Lieutenant, please show them around. We'll have food ready for them soon, the cook is already on it."

"Yes, sir."

He guides them below deck and once they're out of sight Zuko turns fully to his uncle.

"That didn't go well, did it?"

"Of course it did, Prince Zuko. Come," he gestures and Zuko follows him to the side of the ship for a semblance of privacy. His uncle stares out into the open water and says, "After a while, prisoners lose their... fire, so to speak. They have been defeated in combat, and their souls followed suit. They don't believe in escape or freedom. I can only imagine that they see this as some sort of trick. It will take time, Zuko, for them to see the truth of it."

"But why would I trick them? They're already prisoners."

"Lesser men would do it for fun. I know you're above it, but they'll have to discover that for themselves."

"If you say so..."

"I'll go check on lunch," Iroh says in his usual cheerful tone.

Zuko is still there when Jee comes over to let him know the guests have settled in the rooms they'd set aside for them. It's normally for the crew, each room set with six beds each. Their ships are only ever fully staffed when it's off to battle, otherwise it's too many mouths to feed with no real work to do. They've eaten, but they're so starved they could hardly get anything down.

They've been told they have free roam of the ship but they haven't left the rooms by the end of the day.

He gives them that, mostly by his uncle's insistence.

By morning, and after breakfast, Zuko decides to pay them a visit. He's not known for his patience. He asks those from one room to shuffle into the other and they all sit on the beds and stare down at the floor.

"I think there might be a misunderstanding," he starts. "I'm bringing you back to the Water Tribe, you should be excited about it. I know that might not be home for all of you, but it's still better than prison."

One older woman looks up at him and he expects anger, but she's a perfect picture of nonchalance. She has an angry scar curling up the left side of her neck he can only assume occurred during the battle that got her captured, or prior to it.

"They won't give you what you're looking for," she says.

"I'm going there with good intentions, that's all I can say, and you can decide to believe me or not, but it's the truth."

"Is there even anyone left at the Southern Water Tribe? I thought you would have wiped them out like you did the Air Nomads," she continues.

There's a hushed gasp through the room. Everyone's frightened by her words as if he would turn any anger onto all of them rather than only the one who'd spoken. That would seem like learned behaviour, except he can't imagine such poor treatment at a Fire Nation prison. Sure they've thinned out, but it's hard to give anything to Water Benders, even presumed ones, when they could so easily turn it against the guards. 

He's heard of Waterbenders pulling water out of apples and slicing throats with it; they have to be careful. 

He can spot a few scars here and there too, but they're soldiers. Every soldier has a set of scars. Even Zuko... 

His jaw clenches with anger, but he doesn't release it. She's trying to get a rise out of him; he can't let her. He has to hold on to his temper.

She's a guest, he reminds himself. A proper prince doesn't yell at his guests, even when they're ungrateful Water Tribe savages.

"All Waterbenders have been removed from the Tribe, but from my knowledge, there remains one to two hundred people."

"From the thousands we once were," she says.

He knows she's trying to upset him, but her voice is so... matter of fact. What once must have been brown hair is streaked white and grey, her eyes are a dull blue, and her thin lips are pale and chapped. Her skin is sunken and almost transparent, her blue veins visible along her face and hands. She has deep wrinkles by her eyes; Azula used to poke fun at their mother for very small beginnings of those same wrinkles, and Ursa called them 'laughter lines' - she embraced them because it meant happiness.

This woman is old and tired, but she used to be happy. Something in him wonders what her laugh sounds like; if she can even remember the sound of it.

He shoves that aside. He doesn't care.

These are guests but only because they serve a purpose. They're still the enemy, but as it is they're a step in his plan.

"Tell me, Prince Zuko, how old are you? What have you seen of this war?" Her eyes flicker to the left side of his face.

He grits his teeth until it's painful.

_Don't, Zuko. Don't._

"You should do like the others and mind your own business," he mutters hotly. "Anyway, all I came here to say was that my offer was genuine. You don't need to hide out in your rooms, feel free to wander the ship. If anyone causes you trouble, please see me, my Uncle Iroh, or Lieutenant Jee, one of us is usually on deck at all times."

He gives them an awkward wave and slips out of the room. His shoulder knocks into the doorframe and he ignores it. A lot of his left is a little bruised.

It's become obvious that his scar isn't going to heal, and neither are his sight and hearing. He can't hide the first, but for the rest, he tries.

It had taken longer to truly see the difference to his hearing, as it's less obvious than simply covering his right eye leaving a very blurry left one to navigate with. After getting caught unawares from the left on multiple occasions, he's learned to angle himself differently and place his left away from people as inconspicuously as possible.

The harder part is his eyesight. The blurriness hides shapes; he can spot colours, though similar ones blend together, but trying to actually make things out is pretty much impossible at this point. He's been training with his uncle every day for hours to reorient his senses to cover for the disability, and it's slow going. 

If he's not completely focused, he starts slamming into things.

His fire is still gold and the crew have gotten over their awe and will on occasion spar with him when he makes them. His uncle wants him to return to basics, but he's impatient. His duty lies with keeping a child Avatar alive - he needs to be at his best.

Most nights are spent with nightmares about fire near his face, or his father's voice saying some not very kind things, and sometimes he cuts sparring short because he can't seem to breathe properly if a flame gets too close, but that doesn't matter.

His uncle always seems to know and brings him tea.

"It's good for the soul, Prince Zuko," he says about his impromptu middle of the night tea offering. His uncle doesn't comment on the unkempt hair and red rimmed eyes and dark bags beneath them.

He's irate after leaving the Water Tribesmen and goes to his uncle for training.

A couple of nights later, their ship stops dead in the middle of the sea between the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom, right out of sight of either naval operations. With the moon high in the sky, a wooden ship stops next to theirs and they disembark onto it. Any crew that has any know-how of a sailing ship comes with them, along with all their guests. The rest of the crew stays behind to commandeer the steel ship.

He hasn't made much progress with their guests, although the woman has gotten bolder with her questions and comments, but none of them put up any fuss about being moved which he considers a good thing.

The wooden ship, bought or stolen or borrowed (he hasn't asked his uncle for specifics) from someone in the Earth Kingdom isn't as large as theirs, but still has enough room to fit the crew that arrived with it, the new one, and all the passengers. Due to the late hour, they all mostly find beds and head to sleep while an unlucky handful have to man the ship, but Zuko takes the time to explore.

This was the last detour; they're now headed to the Southern Water Tribe. Uncle made the observation it might be better to approach in a less threatening ship. He'd shrugged and agreed. His uncle has put a lot of thought into their comfort and he's a little ashamed he hasn't. Iroh hasn't said so, but he knows he's also gone to visit their guests and he's sure they like him a lot more.

He steps up to the side of the ship and leans against the wooden railing. He stares up at the moon and wonders what awaits him at the South Pole.

So much of the vision he'd had while the sun was dead is a blur. Sometimes he'll catch some of it in his dreams. Or he dreams of sandy beaches. Or nightmares. He remembers an iceberg and a bright blue light. He can clearly picture the child; orange and yellow robes traditional to Air Nomads, the Airbender arrow tattoos along his arms and over his head, big grey eyes full of kindness.

He knows there are others, too. They're shapes in his memory always right next to him or the Avatar, but only he's actually decipherable. He thinks he remembers blue, so Water Tribe most likely, and another that's small and green like Earth Kingdom. He vaguely remembers a large white shape, but he can't begin to imagine what that's meant to be. There are others, too, some vague figures that pass through.

"A copper for your thoughts?"

He'd vaguely heard her approach, she comes up on his right side and he's uncertain if that was intentional or not. She holds a copper Fire Nation coin in his peripheral and he turns to the old woman. She appears to be the unofficial leader of the released prisoners, but this is the first time he's seen her on the top deck.

"Where did you find that?"

She shrugs and slips it into the pocket of her pants. They've all been given new pants, shirts, and shoes, all different shades of brown, and the further they get South the more they've started handing out thicker coats and blankets. He'd expected the Water Tribespeople to be more used to the cold, but the lack of body fat and the years in a Fire Nation prison seem to have taken their toll.

"Is that why you were imprisoned? For stealing?" he asks.

She rests her arms against the railing and leans her weight against it. She stares down at the water and answers with a question, "Do you know why any of us were imprisoned? You released us and say you're bringing us home, but do you know why we weren't home in the first place?"

"No. I didn't read anyone's records. It's not important."

"I was imprisoned for being a Waterbender," she tells him. She waves her hand and a small trail of water rises. It floats halfway up the side of the ship before falling limply back to the sea. He doesn't see it as a threat. "I've spent over twenty years in a cage for having the audacity to exist. They fed us through straws and only gave us new clothes when they couldn't stand the stench any longer. They beat us and burnt us if we so much as looked at them wrong." She lifts her sleeve and shows a multitude of imprints all along the flesh. A couple of wider burns from flame daggers, and many small points of fingerprints digging into her arm.

"So long as this war continues and my people remain in cages, I will not thank you, Prince Zuko. Don't expect gratitude; we are not grateful."

She's halfway to the door that leads back to the lower deck when he turns and calls out, "What's your name? I never asked."

"Kida," she replies without looking back.

And then she's gone.

He's not upset or angry. He doesn't care. They're prisoners; he has no reason to listen to them. Or her. She's just a bitter old woman. He doesn't care.

He returns to his quarters frustrated and annoyed and he barely sleeps an hour overall. Which, to be fair, is not so different from the latest norm for him.

Zuko spends most of the day in his room while pretending it has nothing to the way Kida said, _we are not grateful_. He's just tired. And it's getting cold. Whatever.

He sits on the floor at his desk with his quill inked ready to pen a letter. He sits there for a long while and the page stays blank. He sets it down.

He thinks, for a long while. Eventually, his thoughts return to the Fire Nation. His father thinks he's at Ember Island - he'll be expected back eventually. His sister is still at the palace with Ozai.

Azula. He thinks about her often. Too often.

His uncle finds him with his thumb pressed into his left forearm.

"Prince Zuko? I was wondering if you would join me for dinner... What are you doing?" he asks while already getting closer. 

Zuko releases his grip and shows him his arm. It's littered with pink circles outlined in stark white lines, but the last one is streaked with blood and ash. Just as his face and wrist had been only a week and a half ago.

"It doesn't burn," he says. "I think I can't burn."

Iroh sits beside him and carefully grabs his wrist. He stares at the damage done; he's pressed a flaming thumb several times into the skin from the inside of his elbow to the wrist Ozai had scarred. The pink marks will stay, but it doesn't register right now.

He dips the edge of his robe into Zuko's half-empty tea and uses it to wipe the spot clean. It's not the neatest method, but it works.

"Zuko," he says in the sternest voice he's ever heard from his Uncle, "don't you ever, and I mean _ever_ , do this to yourself again. Am I clear?"

The hand on his wrist tightens slightly.

"It doesn't really hurt," he says. "I just wanted to see-"

"Am. I. Clear?" Iroh looks up at him, gaze hard and unwavering.

He wavers instead.

"Yes, Uncle."

"Good. Now, why did you think this was a good idea?"

"I... I wanted to see if it would work. I've been thinking about it, and I wanted to test it. That's all."

"And once wasn't enough?"

"You always need multiple tests to get a conclusive result," he answers lamely.

"Is that all?"

"Yes, Uncle. I kept going hotter to see if it would make a difference, but it doesn't. I can feel the heat, but it doesn't hurt and it doesn't burn any deeper than surface level. How can I be... _immune_ to fire? That doesn't make any sense."

"You know why, Zuko."

" _Spirits_. Yeah, I know. Doesn't mean it makes any sense."

"Where did this come from?"

"Did you notice they all have scars?"

"Who does?"

"The prisoners. The ex-prisoners. They all have burn scars, but they don't look like mine. I was thinking that it was weird, that's all."

"I see," Iroh says much more calmly than he was minutes ago. He tucks away the now dirty edge of his robe. He reaches for the burn ointment and starts applying it over the spots covering his arm. Zuko lets him without a comment.

He still feels something close to dazed. His thoughts are reeling and going in directions he doesn't want them going.

"Kida said some of them happened while they were in Sunset Island Prison. That can't be true, right? The guards wouldn't burn them, not unless they had a reason."

Iroh sighs but doesn't look up from his work, "I'm afraid that it's a very real possibility. Power corrupts, Prince Zuko. When people have power over other people, sometimes they do things to take advantage of it."

"Then... then I should notify Father. We could find out who it is and have them charged. There should be some sort of system for reporting this kind of behaviour, it-" Zuko cuts himself off. Iroh still won't look at him. His voice lowers and he asks quietly, "you don't think he'll do anything, do you?"

"I'm sorry, Zuko, but your father is more concerned with other things. He won't pay much mind to a few misbehaving guards."

"That's not misbehaving, Uncle, it's _abuse_!"

"I know, but that's not how Ozai will see it."

"But he has to care. How does it make us look that we're abusing our prisoners? That - that makes us no better than Earth Kingdom soldiers that shatter the hands of their Firebender prisoners."

"I understand, Zuko, and perhaps when we return to the Fire Nation we can try speaking to your father. But right now, if we send the information by letter he'll only question why we know this information at all, and he might start looking more closely into what we're doing."

His uncle is placating him, but he lets it happen. He's right and he doesn't want to talk about this anymore.

He abruptly changes the subject.

"Do you think Azula is doing alright at the palace?"

"Azula? I imagine so." His uncle's indifference sends a sharp pang of anger down his spine.

He doesn't stop it in time and he snaps, "what if she isn't?"

Iroh's eyes widen slightly in surprise, but he's always much better at controlling himself and only gently asks, "what makes you think she wouldn't be alright? Azula's always been resourceful, she can take care of herself."

"She's also _eleven_ , Uncle, and right before we left the Fire Nation my father lit my face on fire, so excuse me for being worried about leaving her there with him. Not - not that I think he'd..." he trails a weary hand down his face. "Tempers kind of run in the family, you know that. And Father's always taken his anger out on me and I know it's because I disappointed him with... my entire existence, more or less, but if I'm not there... what if he turns it on Azula? She's always perfect, there's no way she'd do anything to _actually_ upset him, but... what if he gets angry and she's in the way?"

"Ozai won't hurt Azula."

"I never thought he'd hurt me either. At least, not like this," his fingers trail the edge of his scar. "I know it's my fault, I never should have spoken out the way I did. I mean, you did warn me after all. And I know Azula knows better and she won't get herself into that kind of situation, but..."

He shrugs lamely. He's not sure how else to say it.

"She's your sister and you're worried. That's normal. But Azula is smart-"

"And I'm not?" he teases with a raised brow, the one that's still there.

His uncle's startled expression sends him into laughter and it feels nice. All the tension finally drains from his posture and his breathing comes in easier between the laughs. Iroh joins in and the air is no longer charged with Zuko's anger and confusion.

There is so much ahead of them, Zuko can hardly wrap his head around it all. He's glad he has his uncle with him; he wouldn't have wanted to try and figure all this out on his own.

He thinks of Azula and knows that what he's doing is for her and all their people. This is what's right - she'll learn that herself someday.

In the morning, he returns to the guests and asks them for their names and slowly begins to learn their stories. Three of them are Waterbenders that were captured between fifteen to twenty-five years ago, including Kida, five others happened to be in the way during the invasions on the Southern Water Tribe. The last three are from a captured Northern Water Tribe supply ship caught ten years ago. There were more, at the start, but as the years passed more and more of them died. These eleven are what's left. 

He tries to find some common ground with these people. 

They're his enemy, yes, but they've also been done wrong by his people. Making up for that lies on his shoulders. He's already taking them home, but treating them with respect has proven more effective in gaining some semblance of trust.

"Silver for your thoughts?"

She flashes a silver Fire Nation coin and he's learned that she hasn't been stealing; she's earned it by winning games of poker with some of the crew. Figures his uncle would have loyalties among gamblers.

They've made some good distance south. The moon illuminates the ocean and reflects against the icecaps drawing nearer.

"I have a question I've been wanting to ask. I'll understand if you don't want to answer."

"I have few grievances left, Prince Zuko. Ask away."

Her hand flicks and a stream of water rises from the ocean. It gets to the top of the railing and then falls back. She's slowly regaining some strength; they're all slowly looking less sickly. Still, he doesn't feel threatened.

"Can you tell me more about Sunset Island Prison? About the conditions? Anything the others might have told you would be good, too."

She eyes him warily for a moment, thinking on the question. She nods.

"I hope you have some time to spare."

"As much as you need."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** I say "Water Tribesmen" because I'm not sure what else they'd identify as? "Citizen" doesn't seem quite right, and I went more shorthand than just "people of the Water Tribe". Let me know if there's a better way to word this and I'll correct it.
> 
> Zuko has a lot to learn about the world. Also, as someone with vision problems, I know I can describe that well enough, but if anyone HOH has suggestions for how to better portray Zuko, let me know!


	5. The Southern Water Tribe Pt. 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zuko arrives at the South Pole.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First - I will be using "tribespeople" as a non-gender specific term, and "tribesmen" and "tribeswomen" when appropriate as suggested by the lovely "TribunG"! This will apply in descriptions and if used by someone from the SWT. The NWT will appear eventually and will only use "tribesmen" and "tribeswomen" when speaking because we all know they ain't woke and it would be inaccurate to give them that much credit.
> 
> Second - thank you for the positive response so far! I hope you all continue to enjoy :)

They wait until it's daytime to approach the giant block of ice and snow that makes up the South Pole. 

He's sent everyone below deck that isn't needed. It'll look less intimidating if they don't approach with an obvious ship full of strangers. Although a wooden ship should be less threatening than their usual steel ones, it's still larger than anything Water Tribe.

The closer they get the more signs of civilization he can see. The place where land and ocean meet is blocked by a high wall in an attempt to fend off invaders. From his vantage point, the left and right side of the wall meet up with large pillars of ice and snow and there's no clear place to anchor.

"Um, sir? Where would you like us to... go?" Lieutenant Jee asks from the helm.

"Straight to the middle, Lieutenant."

"If you say so..."

He pretends not to hear the comment. His uncle makes friends with colourful people; he's learned not to take it personally. At least for his sanity.

Before they've reached the wall, a man steps up onto it. He has an oddly shaped helmet, a layer of armour, another of furs for warmth, and some sort of weapon in his hands. From this distance, he can't make out any specific details.

The man stands firm by himself as they continue to approach. They only stop when the pointed tip of the ship touches the edge of the wall. They're both just about the same height, creating an easy path between the ship and wall. Zuko can see eye to eye with the man. His uncle comes to his side, but otherwise, the top deck is mostly empty.

"I am Chief Hakoda of the Southern Water Tribe. State your name and intentions."

All the warm clothing they could get came from the Earth Kingdom, and so he and Iroh are layered atop with brown, but there are still spots of red beneath it that draws the Chief's gaze.

Zuko climbs the thin ledge of the ship and walks across the front of it.

"Zuko...!"

He ignores his Uncle's reproachful tone.

He's been walking around precarious rooftops for most of his life, he could do this completely blind. So long as he doesn't look down, his feet know what to do. Perfectly balanced, he reaches the tip and jumps off onto the ice wall.

The man tenses but doesn't make a move to attack.

He's older, middle-aged probably, and seems fit for the title of Chief. Strong, tall, stern. The helmet is shaped like a wolf's head and is the sturdiest armour on him. The lines around his eyes and mouth are deep, where his own father is smooth. Different leadership types, clearly. His eyes are deep blue, as are most of the Water Tribespeople on his ship, and there are braids in his hair that he's learned from his guests have some form of meaning. They've started rebraiding their hair with ties Zuko has spared them; it doesn't have the same effect without the beads but it lifted their spirits.

Now with this new vantage point, he can finally see the full extent of the Southern Water Tribe. Saying two hundred people was... generous. There are a couple dozen huts and scattered firepits. All of the men have taken up arms and are nearest to the wall, while the women and children are huddled in the back. He can see some eyes peeking out of hut entrances.

"I am Prince Zuko, son of Lady Ursa and Fire Lord Ozai. I'm here as a visitor, not as a threat."

"That's certainly a different approach," the man says, but it's low enough that Zuko wonders if he was even meant to hear it. He says, now louder, "we have no Waterbenders left, Prince Zuko. You've already taken them all. So - what is the purpose of your visit?"

"That's a long story," he says, "but first, we have some guests who probably want to get off the ship. Lieutenant, can you...?"

Jee nods in acquiescence. He opens the door leading to the lower deck and calls out into the opening.

Hakoda glances over for a brief second, but his focus is on Zuko.

"We have nothing left," he says, voice hard. "What do you _want_?"

"I'm here to... talk."

"Talk."

Hakoda is looking at him like he's lost his mind. He is, after all, a thirteen-year-old Fire Nation prince showing up on his doorstep with an Earth Kingdom ship and asking to ' _talk_ '.

Luckily, that's when Jee steps back from the door on the ship with Kida by his side. She approaches the edge of the ship and stops next to Iroh. She waves.

"Is that little 'Koda?" she asks with a bright smile. "Are you Chief now? You've grown so tall!"

He blinks at her several times in quick succession.

"Miss Kida?! What..."

"They're pretty okay," she says, hand falling on Iroh's shoulder. "For Fire Nation. Mind if we dock?"

"Ah... no, um, that's alright then," he says, tone clipped in disbelief. He turns back to Zuko. He points to the eastern side of the wall, "Around the bend there's a place you can pull up."

Zuko gives the instructions to Jee who returns to navigation. His uncle and Kida stay on deck while the others slowly start to join them. Zuko starts walking ahead on the snow wall while the ship turns slowly to follow.

"I thought there were more people here, but I guess I shouldn't have expected accuracy in my lessons. You said Chief - that's the leadership here, isn't it? You lead the Southern Tribe, but there's another Chief in the North, is that right?"

"That's right," Hakoda answers absentmindedly.

He looks down at the men and meets Bato's curious gaze. His best friend and right-hand man makes a slicing motion over his throat and gestures to the boy. Hakoda makes a face back and shakes his head. He won't attack a boy with his back turned; that's something the Fire Nation would do. Even if the prince is making it easy. Hakoda's not sure if Zuko believes in their honour system, or if he's under-estimating them that immensely.

Bato makes an annoyed face back and that's the end of that conversation. 

They reach the curve and the ship is not far behind them. Between the wall and the ice there's a few open feet where ships can dock. Their own are even further down, tied and anchored and unused.

"That's brilliant!" Zuko says and turns to him, still walking backward. "You use the reflections on the snow to hide the opening from anyone coming in. None of us could see this from out there at all."

"Yes, that's... the point."

Zuko turns back around with an interested glint in his eyes. He reaches the edge of the wall and waits for the ship to dock.

"You said 'guests'. Plural." Hakoda comments.

"There's eleven of them," Zuko says. "A couple from the Northern Tribe, but they didn't object to coming here."

The wooden plank drops to form a path. Zuko jumps down in a move Hakoda has no intention of replicating. The drop is a bit much for his age. He takes the snow stairs not far away. When he reaches the opening, Zuko is helping the passengers off the ship. All of them are elderly or at least middle-aged and they're all carrying something in their arms; some little boxes, another what looks like an old traditional Water Tribe garment, a couple are gently carrying old weapons. Reparations.

Zuko's the picture of a charming young man, offering his arm and helping them off that final step. Hakoda doesn't buy it. Or any of this.

Even if Kida, the woman who taught most of the children how to read and write over thirty years ago while their parents worked to keep them fed and clothed and housed, wraps him in a tight hug.

"Hakoda! You're so big now, but I couldn't forget that face of yours. You were always so handsome." She smirks good-naturedly, "what happened?"

"You miserable old woman. What in _Spirits_ name is going on?"

"Listen, the boy's a bit confused but I believe his intentions are good. Give him a chance. And then when he awkwardly talks himself into a corner, give him a second chance."

"I'll take your word for it," he says drily. "Wait, is that Enoki?"

"Yes, and Olayuk, and Qilaq, and there's Inka, and..."

Zuko finishes helping them off the ship and finishes by offering his arm to his uncle to help him down. The plank is raised behind them.

Jee calls out from the side of the ship, "Sir? We'll go below deck, since it's, you know, _freezing_. Shout when you need us."

Zuko nods and the rest of the crew scurries away for warmth. It's too cold for him to poke fun at them. The clothes they got from the Earth Kingdom are not enough for the weather here, but at least he and Iroh can refocus their inner flame to keep them warm. He ignores the worry when he spots shivers among the ex-prisoners; he did what he could.

"Chief Hakoda," Zuko stops in front of him. He forms the shape of a flame with his hands and bows. "I know that this is not the most favourable situation, but you have my word, on my honour, that we are here under the best intentions. No harm will come to any of you by our hand."

Hakoda bows his head slightly, unaccustomed to the gesture, and says, "I'm not sure I believe you, but so long as you remain true to your word, you will be welcomed as guests. If you break your word, so will I."

"Thank you."

They both stand by for a couple of minutes while the passengers get greeted by the entirety of the Southern Water Tribe. Some of the men stay near them, weapons at the ready, but the women and children have come forward to collect their missing family and friends, and they welcome the newcomers with open arms. Everyone gives Zuko and Iroh, and their red clothing, a wide berth.

"Suppose you're not here to say the war is over, are you?" Bato asks after he's taken a turn hugging Kida and the others.

"Sorry," Iroh says and sounds like he means it.

Bato sighs and turns his eyes skyward. "Then _why_ -"

"Bato, please," Hakoda interrupts. "Why don't you make sure everyone gets settled? They'll need better furs. Would either of you like any?" he offers.

"No, thank you, Chief Hakoda," Iroh says.

"Firebenders," Zuko adds in the way of an explanation.

Hakoda doesn't press on that.

"I can't leave you with them," Bato protests, his tone slightly lowered as if that would stop them from hearing him.

"You will. Go." He shoos him away with a comforting smile. Bato narrows his eyes at them but obeys his Chief.

Zuko turns to his uncle, "The last box of scrolls is in my room. I didn't give them to Kida earlier. I'll go get them."

He's gone before Iroh can say anything about it. He scales the side of the ship with precise hands and feet.

Hakoda watches in wonderment, "He's like a saber-cat. We have them further south. The way they navigate through the snow is amazing."

"Yes, he's always been quick-footed. He disappeared once when he was three and we spent hours looking for him. We found him napping on the top of a seven-foot dresser."

"I have two about his age," Hakoda says companionably, "though they prefer going under the snow rather than over it. Had to dig Sokka out a few times... What's he going to get? Scrolls, he said?"

"That's right," Iroh says. "We'd like to discuss something with you and thought it would be best not to arrive empty-handed. We've brought back some books, a mix of literature and poetry, and there's jewelry and some daggers that I believe are ceremonial. The people were a lucky bonus, to be honest. We retrieved them from Sunset Island Prison completely traceless, I assure you. No one will know to come here."

"That is... great. I was definitely thinking about that."

"The scrolls Zuko has gone to get contain Waterbending techniques; Kida seems quite content with them."

"As I said, we have none."

"Well, now you have three."

"What's your game here?" Hakoda asks seriously. "You seem like a smart man - don't play me like an idiot or as a _savage_ , as your people like to call us. Why give us back Waterbenders when you've spent the last hundred years hunting them out of our Tribe?"

"There is no game, as hard as that might be to believe. If Prince Zuko and I can have a moment of your time, we'd like to sit with you and go over the details."

"Fine, and who are you? You haven't introduced yourself."

"I am Prince Zuko's uncle; my name is Iroh. It truly is an honour to meet you, Chief Hakoda," he says with a short bow of his head.

"I don't know much about Fire Nation nobility, but I assume that makes you the Fire Lord's brother?"

"That's correct."

"Right..." Hakoda can't hide that his face darkens at the knowledge. None of the intruders have so far made any movements toward their weapons or Firebending, but all of his senses are blaring danger at him. He's certain trying to send them off now would put them all in a worse position, and he hates that he has to stand there and treat them like guests until their motives become more clear.

Two princes - he feels confident in his warriors' skills, but he can't tell how their chances actually fair if they were to attack. Not to mention whatever they have on that ship.

"Oh," Iroh says, looking over Hakoda's shoulder. He follows his line of sight and his stomach drops. "That's the other person we'd like to speak with."

He's got a smile on his lips and there's nothing wrong with his expression as a whole, but that means nothing to Hakoda, who only can see that Iroh has caught sight of his two children and the village's most recent guest. The boy that seems to be the last Airbender. They were in hiding, as per his directive, but Aang seems to have lost patience, and Katara and Sokka are running to catch up to his speedy gliding.

He lands back to earth, his feet sinking gently but the wind around him raises a thin layer of snow a couple of feet into the air. He waves an arm above his head in a giant arc in greeting and shouts, "hello!"

"Hello," Iroh says good-naturedly with his own, much more tame, wave.

And as if by fate, that's when Zuko makes his return with a box in his arms and no trace of being winded. He aims to stand by his uncle and his intention is to hand over the scrolls to the Chief, but his gaze wanders.

The kids are getting nearer, all three now walking, and they're close enough to be in talking distance. There's a boy in Air Nomad orange, arrow over his head and arms with no warm clothes in sight and a staff in his hand. The two other kids are Water Tribe; covered in blue and furs like all the others around them. The girl is certainly younger than him, standing as tall as the Air Nomad with her long brown hair tied back with some strands tucked away in strange loops. The boy looks to be about Zuko's age and has his hair tied back in a high phoenix tail but the sides are shaved down, likely a local style, and his weapon of choice seems to be a boomerang. For some reason. Zuko had no idea people actually used those practically.

"Hey, it's you!" The Air Nomad says excitedly, pointing at Zuko. He has an ear-splitting grin on his lips and couldn't appear any happier by the circumstances.

Zuko, in turn, scowls in mild annoyance. He looks him over and it's clear that this is him - this is the Avatar. As young and free-spirited as his vision proclaimed. His eyes, one cloudy and the other sharp but both gold, lock with bright soft grey.

There's a zap down his spine like recognition. He sees a blue glowing sheen pass over the Avatar's eyes, and his uncle will tell him later his own eyes glowed golden. His hands tighten around the box instinctively and the sight before him changes. It is no longer an eager child, smiling in the snow. It is now a boy laying on dirt, stomach singed and burnt through with lightning. His eyes are vacant and his skin grey in death. There's a thin trail of blood down by the corner of his lips.

He hears screaming. His lips are closed but it still sounds like him.

Behind the screams, he hears cold laughter and he knows without a doubt that that's Ozai.

He shuts his eyes tightly to try and clear the disturbing image.

"...Zuko..." His uncle's voice reaches him as if spoken through cloth. He opens his eyes.

Everything is back to normal.

"Are you alright?"

The Avatar is dazed, the girl and boy are by his sides and probing him with their own questions. Zuko turns to his worried uncle and forces a smile that feels like a grimace. 

"I'm okay." 

Hakoda is staring curiously between the two boys, but Zuko focuses more on the suddenly loud murmuring. The rest of the Tribe had gone to the most southern part of the village, talking in hushed voices, but he hears them more clearly now. He glances over and all the fires have turned gold. Except that not all the firepits had been lit. He must have ignited the embers.

"Remember your control, Prince Zuko. Can you pull back out of the fires?" Iroh asks, his tone controlled but Zuko can see his wonder at what's happening.

Zuko focuses and tries to untangle his inner flame from those around him. He doesn't feel attached. He raises a hand to the nearest one, Hakoda stepping back and everyone else whispering anxiously, and he snuffs the flame completely. His hand drops back to his side, but it reignites instantly. He huffs.

"I... I don't know, Uncle, it's not... I'm not doing that!" There's a scared tilt to his tone. His uncle rests a hand on his shoulder.

"It's alright, no one is hurt. Just try to focus."

As someone who spent most of his life struggling with fire control, he knows when he's not controlling it right. This isn't that. There's something... else.

He breathes in and out a couple of times, all flames moving in sync with him. He exhales sharply and they all extinguish. For a second.

"I didn't know Firebenders could make gold fire," the Avatar says, the daze gone and back to his previous chipper self. He's gotten closer now, the two Water Tribe kids trailing by his sides. They're both staring at the fires with a mix of wonder and fear, which, by now, Zuko knows is the expected response.

"They don't, normally. But Zuko, here, has been blessed by spirits. This appears to be a side effect." Iroh gestures to the nearest fire.

Zuko rolls his eyes. His Uncle loves this blessed thing too much.

"That's amazing! I thought you might be spirit-touched. I mean, with the dream thing."

"Was he the boy from your dream?" The girl asks.

"Yeah!"

He eyes the girl for a second. She and what looks like her brother are both familiar, somehow. He looks back down at the box and his instincts kick in. He walks forward purposefully, bypassing Hakoda and walking toward the girl. He's a foot from her when a club blocks his path. It's the other man, Bato if he'd heard correctly.

"Not another step," he warns.

He stops himself from rolling his eyes again.

He thrusts the box towards the girl, "Here. I think this is for you."

Bato sends a reproachful look over his shoulder when she moves to take it. He taps the top of it.

"What's in it?"

"Waterbending scrolls."

"Really?!" she says excitedly, eyes practically shining. She meets Bato's gaze and forces herself to look solemn. "Which I am not, because we have no Waterbenders in the Southern Water Tribe."

This time, he does roll his eyes. He shoves the box at the man instead.

"Just take it, okay?"

Bato takes it with his free hand, still not removing his weapon from between him and the other kids.

The second his touch leaves the box, the flames turn red and another wave of murmuring erupts through the Tribe. Zuko looks over at the nearest firepit and sighs.

"I really, _really_ , hate spirits," he mutters under his breath.

He stomps back to Iroh and crosses his arms petulantly. The girl snatches the box and starts riffling through it and there's a repressed squeal when she unfurls the first one to show Waterbending stances.

"Sokka, look!"

"Yeah, yeah, magic paper, cool," her brother steps around her and a curious Aang hovering by her shoulder. He goes to his father, "Dad, what's going on? Why are they here? And giving us _scrolls_?"

"We're about to get to that. _But_ \- why are you and Katara not still in hiding like I told you?" He asks, sounding the way Ursa would ask ' _who burnt the curtains?_ ' and it would always be Azula but she'd point at Zuko and he'd never been good enough with words to refute her accusations.

"Aang wanted to see who was here. And he flies, dad, I couldn't exactly stop him," he says with a pout. "Sorry."

"It's okay," Hakoda puts a loving hand on his head, "You guys go with Bato. I'll get this sorted."

"Okay, dad."

"Chief Hakoda? We'd like to talk to the Avatar, as well, if that's alright." Iroh says in his pleasant voice. 

This visibly startles him, "The... what? Avatar?"

Everyone's eyes turn to the Airbender, even the girl manages to pull away from the scrolls. He shifts awkwardly and his eyes dart between all of them.

He laughs forcefully, "Aha, did I not mention...?"

Zuko and Iroh share a look. Oops.

Hakoda and Bato both, within the same second in a very creepy way, turn to stare at Zuko and Iroh. 

Unperturbed, Iroh keeps his smile in place, "we did say we're here to talk, right?"

Hakoda sighs heavily, "Alright. You, you, and you," he points to Zuko, Iroh, and Aang in turn and then points to a specific hut, "in there. Bato, take the kids anywhere else."

Zuko and Iroh start walking and can hear Hakoda's final words to his kids.

"And I mean it! Sokka, Katara, if I find either of you near that hut you will both be on laundry duty for the whole tribe. For a month!"

"A month!"

"Laundry duty?!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hakoda is heeeere! Katara and Sokka are babies :) Aang is just around vibing and living his best life. Also Spirits like messing with Zuko.
> 
> ** Bato does not condone child murder lol he just saw Fire Nation and wanted to get the first strike in.


	6. The Avatar and The Prince

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ya'll are too sweet! The lovely comments are everything <3
> 
> Enjoy more SWT :)

The four of them shuffle into the small hut. They're all built out of compact snow, so Zuko's not sure about how sturdy the whole thing is, but he is at least reassured that he and Iroh can melt their way out should it collapse on them. He'd easily be able to drag the kid out too, and he supposes he could grab the Chief on the way.

He's also uncertain of its exact purpose, but the room has a long, low table, some furs across the snowy ground, and a few wooden shelves with books and scrolls. On one of the walls is hooked a map of the world, though he can tell it's outdated by at least fifty years. It could probably fit ten people at the most. Maybe thirteen, if they're kids. 

Oh. It's a ' _school_ '. Probably.

Hakoda and Aang sit on one side of the table and Iroh and Zuko take the other. The Chief sets his spear and helmet down by his side not quite out of reach.

"So," Aang says to cut the sudden tension. He's still smiling and Zuko feels his temper simmering in the pit of his stomach. No matter if the innocent thing is an act or ignorance, Zuko doesn't like it.

"I'm Iroh," his uncle introduces them to the Avatar, "And this is my nephew, Zuko."

"I'm Aang," he says and turns his gaze to Zuko. "I saw you in a dream. At least, I think I did. Maybe it was a hallucination? I wasn't quite awake, but also not asleep. Maybe it was somewhere in the Spirit World?"

"Uh-huh." Zuko nods, pretending to understand. "Was it the one with the beach and the dying sun? I get that one a lot, and sometimes you're in it."

"I was actually thinking about the one where we're in a forest and we're surrounded by frogs. The sun one gives me the heebie-jeebies."

"Oh. Yeah, I've had that dream a couple of times. I wonder what the frogs are meant to symbolize."

"Maybe it means we're supposed to play leapfrog! Near the Eastern Air Temple, there's some scorpion-frogs big enough to play with."

The two adults share a look of slight worry, but Hakoda focuses on a certain comment.

"Seeing as you're both Fire Nation, you wouldn't, by any chance, happen to know anything about the whole sun dying thing, would you? We don't see much out here, but even we saw that happen."

"Uncle has a theory, but it's stupid. So no. We don't know why it happened," Zuko says surly.

"How about we start from the beginning of our story, and you can form your own ideas?" Iroh offers, unoffended by his nephew's words.

"That sounds fair. Go ahead, let's hear it."

He does, but he feels Zuko's heavy gaze on him and only gives so much. A wound followed by a momentarily dead sun. He doesn't mention the Agni Kai itself or the source of the scar over his eye, only says when it occurred.

"Is that possible? That Zuko getting injured caused the sun to die? I've never heard of anything like that," Hakoda says, sounding doubtful.

"Because that's not something that _happens_ ," Zuko says. It's quite obvious he doesn't believe a word of it.

"Until there's more information, all we have right now are the facts. Which are that you were injured, and immediately after the sun flickered and died for nearly fourty seconds. It would make less sense that the two events weren't correlated somehow."

Zuko only sighs. He's done trying to figure out anything to do with spirits.

"Let's keep going. What happened afterward?"

Iroh continues. He mentions Zuko's vision. He talks about his (supposed) blessing, stemming perhaps from his birth. Zuko adds in more about the vision, though doesn't bring up the death of the Avatar or who causes it. Iroh circles back to his golden fire and lightly mentions how he can't seem to burn as more proof of the blessing.

"The moment I saw you I had this odd feeling, and now I know what it is. I can feel that you've been touched by a spirit in some way."

"That's nice and all, but it'd be nice if it could go away."

"But - but you were _chosen_ , just like I was. That's a good thing! At least... that's what they told me." For the first time that day, the Avatar's shield cracks. There's a sad glaze over his eyes, but the wall comes back up quickly.

"You had visions about the Avatar, which I'll admit I'm a little disappointed I had to find out about from you rather than from the source," Aang stares at the table guiltily, "but how does that bring you here?" Hakoda asks.

"Well, it's..." Zuko isn't sure how to put it. Most of his family knows how to place his awkward sentences into thoughts, Azula hardly even makes fun of him for it anymore because she's used to it, but this is a stranger and he can't get his thoughts into a neat order to express.

"He should be your enemy, right? You killed the rest of his people-" Aang inhales sharply. "I'm sorry, Aang, I shouldn't have said it like that. I..."

"It's okay, don't worry about it." He doesn't quite meet any of their gazes.

"But you're right," Zuko cuts in, finding some words on this different topic. "That's something that we _did_ do. I'm not here to debate why it happened or to try and defend the Fire Nation. We're here to talk about what we want to do going forward."

He knows the Air Nomads attacked, strange monks who toss away familial ties can't be trusted, but he can't place all of that on this kid's shoulder. It doesn't feel right.

Everyone is quiet for a second, letting Zuko collect his thoughts. Even Aang only stares at him, curiousity in his eyes and no instinct to fill any silence with pointless chatter. It's nice to have that moment to just think.

He hesitantly starts, thoughts slotting into place, "I think what all these visions and dreams are telling me is that I need to make sure you don't die fighting the Fire Nation. The spirits want you alive, and they think you need my help."

"So we need to stop the war? Together?" Aang asks.

Zuko shakes his head, "no. My father's too powerful, you wouldn't win a fight against him. You need to make sure he doesn't know you're alive or else he'll come after you. I'm pretty good at being stealthy, I can help with keeping you undercover."

Iroh, sensing a possible disagreement, cuts in, "perhaps Aang's focus should be on learning the other elements. The war is no place for either of you to be right now."

Hakoda appears to understand the situation. He catches Iroh's gaze and nods. He says, "that makes sense to me. You'll need to learn to defend yourself. I know Kida's just returned, but she might be able to help with Waterbending."

"That'd be great!" Aang says, "can we still go penguin sledding?"

Zuko mouths the words ' _penguin sledding_ ' to himself and it still doesn't make any sense.

"Of course," Hakoda says kindly.

"Zuko, you should come with us! It's so much fun."

"Uh..." His response is a forced smile.

"If it's okay, can you tell us a bit about what's been happening here? How long have you been here, Aang?" Iroh asks in the silence.

"About five days. Katara and Sokka found me in an iceberg."

"I knew it," Zuko mutters to himself and Aang shoots him a grin.

"Apparently I've been frozen for nearly a hundred years? The last thing I remember before that is getting lost in a storm with Appa and we got stuck underwater and somehow I froze us. They've spent the last few days telling me what I've missed, about the... the war, and about the Air Nomads..."

Hakoda's lips press into a thin line and his eyes flash over to the Fire Nation princes.

"You were frozen for a hundred years?" Zuko asks disbelievingly.

"There was no war when I went under," Aang says, voice quiet. "But now, apparently everything's... _wrong_."

"It's been a long hundred years."

Zuko shoots his uncle a look, but it's ignored.

"It must be hard for you to wake up and find the world completely turned around from what you remember," Iroh says kindly. "We can at least be grateful you came out of the ice to the best of hands."

"Yeah! It'd been ages since I'd been to the South Pole! There are a lot more snow leopard-caribous than I remember."

"Boys, can you two go see Bato? I'd like to talk to Iroh for a minute," Hakoda asks.

Aang jumps up with a boost of Airbending, ruffling the furs on the ground and the map on the wall. He smiles brightly, "Okay! I can introduce you to Katara and Sokka."

Zuko's eyes narrow and he glares at the Chief, "you don't need to send me out of the room like a _child_ ; I am a pr-"

He stops short when Iroh rests a hand on his shoulder. His left eye twinges with residual pain and the memory of the last time he'd spoken out of turn washes over him. He looks at his uncle and nods in understanding with only the hint of steam on his breath. He stands, dusting himself of a few scattered snowflakes, and follows the Avatar out of the room.

In the hut, the two men stare at each other for a tense moment. Iroh keeps himself visibly calm and relaxed. His hands are hidden beneath the length of his robes and they're ready to strike should the Chief make a move. Hakoda eyes him openly wary, but his spear is on the ground beside him and out of immediate range. He places his elbows on the table, links his fingers, and rests his head upon them all while watching Iroh.

There's something smart and calculating in the look like he's being studied. Iroh has always admired a man worth his title, even if he's on the opposite side of the battlefield.

"I'd like to summarize what I've learned here today. Feel free to interrupt if I've got anything wrong." He pauses for a response.

Iroh nods.

"Good. Your nephew, the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation, was injured, supposedly causing the sun to die, and he had this... vision about the Avatar. Something impactful enough for him to decide that he wants to protect the last hope the world has of defeating his father, the Fire Lord. You, the Fire Lord's brother, buys into the vision thing and the two of you come here with a few of our stolen goods and some of my people as a peace offering, and want me to... what? Hand you the Avatar?"

"That's a pretty accurate summary. I would add that since he's been blessed by the Sun Spirit, and with the Avatar being the bridge between our world and the Spirit World, that they're undoubtedly connected spiritually. Whether they see that yet or not..." Iroh shrugs.

"You realize this sounds insane, right?"

"Oh, most certainly. But the spirits have never followed the rules of logic before. The Avatar recognized my nephew; they've had shared dreams. I understand if you doubt our side of the story, but surely you won't doubt his."

"My mother's the one who recognized the tattoos, but if I hadn't seen his Airbending for myself..." Hakoda drops his hands and leans back to be more comfortable, "I would have wondered if you'd sent him as some sort of spy."

"Neither my brother nor forefathers would have had the patience to keep Airbenders captive for a hundred years to use one as a spy. No, the plan was to eliminate them, and it seems they failed."

"I heard about your exploits in Ba Sing Se." This visibly startles Iroh and Hakoda's lips downturn at the edges, "I know. We're quite a ways from the Earth Kingdom, but news travels. Even down here."

"I'll admit I'm not proud of that time in my life. I lost my only child on that battlefield, and I'm ashamed to say it took to that point to realize the true repercussions of my actions."

"But he doesn't see it that way, does he?" Hakoda says with a vague gesture to the entryway.

"I'm afraid not."

"If I asked where his loyalties lie, he'd tell me with the Fire Lord, not with the Avatar."

"He would," Iroh agrees. "But Prince Zuko is only thirteen."

"And Aang is twelve," Hakoda contests. "I can't put him at risk because the Dragon of the West has supposedly had a change of heart and is trying to drag the Crown Prince along with him."

"It is my nephew who asked me to help him find the Avatar. What he said here today is what he told me two weeks ago - he wants the Avatar to live because he sees him just as we do. A boy. And no, he won't turn his back on his father tomorrow, but he has a good soul. He has _honour_. If he gives his word, he will never break it. Not even for the Fire Lord."

"Let's say you've convinced me - what's your next move?"

"Help the Avatar learn his bending."

"And once he's strong enough, he fights the Fire Lord and ends the war while your nephew sits there quietly."

"That might be an obstacle easier overcome the more we approach it."

Hakoda sighs, something low and defeated, "I'm going to need to sit on this, and my people deserve a chance to voice their opinions."

"I understand," Iroh says. "My nephew and I can return to the ship in the meantime if that will make you all more comfortable."

"That's probably for the best. We'll call on you once we've come to a decision."

They both stand, Iroh bows with the flame symbol formed at the center of his chest. When he straightens, Hakoda holds his arm out. Iroh tentatively reaches to shake his hand, but Hakoda moves forward to clasp his forearm in the way of the Water Tribe greeting.

Iroh follows his lead and smiles at the show of camaraderie. They're far from comrades or allies, but the Chief is acknowledging his attempt.

"Thank you for giving us the chance to explain ourselves."

Their arms fall apart and Hakoda's grins wryly.

"Despite what your limited education may have taught you about us _savages_ , we don't kill boys. Not even when your army puts them on the frontlines."

Hakoda turns and gestures for Iroh to follow, which he does without comment. It's only a fact that Fire Lord Ozai lowered the age of inscription from sixteen to fourteen a couple of years ago. Iroh tries not to think about what that would have meant for Zuko in just a few month's time when he turns fourteen winters.

In the open space in the center of the huts, they find a large white creature Iroh vaguely recalls from stories. They say the Air Nomads flew to some of the Fire Nation islands nearest the Western Air Temple on flying bison; they left nothing behind but bodies without air in their lungs. According to the stories.

It stands taller than any of the huts with six giant paws and a mouth full of blunt teeth for its vegetarian diet. Zuko is standing at its head, a hand petting its nose, and Aang is beside him enthusing about his animal guide and companion. Sokka is a few feet from them with Katara slightly behind him; he's glaring at the Fire Nation prince with his boomerang at the ready and she's watching all of them with a fascinated sparkle in her eyes.

Iroh can easily spot a bit of Hakoda in both of them.

"Go on, Prince Jerk, get closer, maybe the bison will eat you," Sokka says with the passionate spite of a twelve-year-old who's been previously wounded.

"Actually, Appa's a herbivore," Aang comments.

Katara tugs on his sleeve and whispers too loudly to be really considered a whisper, "be quiet, Sokka! They could hurt dad."

Zuko rolls his eyes and finally spots his uncle. His lips spread into an involuntary smile and he points at the giant bison.

"Uncle, look! This is the thing from my vision. I didn't think it'd be an animal." Zuko had mentioned a big white blur taking root in multiple parts of his vision, but even Iroh hadn't seen this coming.

"All Avatar's have an animal companion. If I'm there, Appa's there," Aang says. He pets the bison along his neck, earning a low rumble in thanks.

Bato had been standing nearby to keep an eye over the kids, but he walks over to Hakoda now. He takes the side away from Iroh to keep him in his peripheral and asks the Chief, "So? Are they leaving?"

"Not yet," he says and his right-hand glances skyward in frustration. "I'm calling an impromptu village meeting. All the adults we can spare, and the new folks. Leave enough behind to watch the kids and our guests."

"Want me to stick with them?" Where Hakoda lowered his voice slightly as not to offend Iroh standing right beside him, Bato doesn't bother.

"No, I want you there. Have Tulok stay behind."

Bato nods and wanders off to start giving orders. Sokka watches him go as if debating following after him, but he glances back at his sister and stays put.

Hakoda turns to Iroh, "I'll go gather my people for our meeting. I know we agreed you'd go back to the boat, but if the kids want to keep playing with the bison, that's fine. Just stay out here where everyone can see you."

"Thank you, Chief Hakoda."

He leaves them, and Iroh walks over to his nephew. There's a good amount of adults on the outskirts of the open square; several men with weapons ready and a few women trying to keep their kids distracted.

Zuko follows the Chief's movements until Iroh is close enough to talk more privately and his attention shifts. The three other kids are within hearing distance, but they're not really of any concern to him.

"What's going on?" he asks.

"Chief Hakoda is going to speak to some of the other members of the Tribe. We just have to sit tight and wait for him to return."

"Fine," Zuko's gaze flickers briefly to the Chief, speaking to some people too far to eavesdrop. "The bison is apparently a big fan of appleberries."

"I've told you not to keep food in your pockets," Iroh says with a teasing edge to his words.

"I like to keep bribes on hand," Zuko answers with his own tilted grin.

When the Avatar laughs at his comment, he eyes him warily. It wasn't really a joke, but he's pretty sure he's not being laughed at either.

An older gentleman with a club and helmet on his head approaches them and introduces himself as Tulok. They all exchange names, and he steps back to stand silently near them the same way that guards do at the palace. Except he's not there to protect the princes.

While they wait for the Chief's return amidst a hostile environment, Zuko finds himself hovering between his uncle and the bison. The young Water Tribe boy won't stop glaring at him and it's off-putting. The young Water Tribe girl and the Avatar are talking about penguin sledding and she's showing him her abysmal Waterbending skills; she can move a few droplets and that's about it. His uncle says she's doing well for someone without any sort of teacher, and a side-eyed look from him stops Zuko from commenting on it.

He'd only started improving when Iroh returned from Ba Sing Se and began teaching him; he has no room to judge.

It's a very long almost two hours.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hakoda isn't having any BS. I love him.
> 
> I hope you all continue to enjoy, we have a long road ahead of us <3


	7. The Southern Water Tribe Pt. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hakoda talks to his people about what to do with the Fire Nation princes. Decisions are made.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warnings: Panic attack
> 
> Enjoy!

Hakoda is starting to regret asking for his people's opinions. Bato, seated at his right, looks moments from shoving snow down someone's throat out of sheer frustration.

The Southern Water Tribe has a lot of ceremonies and traditions, but as their numbers have dwindled any previous hierarchy has mostly faded. Although he's Chief and has the final say on things, he treats everyone as equals which they also do so amongst themselves. There's no 'nobility' in the South Pole. Even Bato, seen as Hakoda's right-hand man, doesn't actually have a title.

The three Tribespeople from the Northern Tribe seem befuddled by their casual arrangement - everyone seated in a circle outside the main village walls to discuss the matter openly. They're respectful enough not to comment on it.

Everyone has something to say about their predicament and he listens to each of them in turn, while trying to keep others from interrupting.

When one person starts suggesting they work with the prince, someone cuts in about the suffering they've endured because of his family. And then someone else cuts in about giving people a fair chance. And then another states their Waterbenders were never given any chances. It loops through the circle a few times.

All the newcomers are in agreement to give the prince a chance to prove himself. 

"He means well," Kida says. "Once you get through the awkward teenage boy part of him."

Some of the tribe have their doubts.

"He's a little young to be entrusted the care of the Avatar," an elder member of their tribe says. "And perhaps the boy means well, but what can we really think about the Dragon of the West? I don't know that I trust him with the boy."

While others are more straightforward in their aversion.

"I say we sink their ship and take them hostage. How many people have a chance at the Crown Prince? _And_ we have the Avatar! This is the advantage the world's been waiting for. We can't throw that away."

"I agree."

"I don't!"

"Alright, enough," Hakoda says. He's not loud, but everyone instantly hushes at the sound of his voice. He stands and releases a deep breath. "Thank you all for sharing your many, many, thoughts. I've made my decision on the matter, and remember that even if you don't like it, I have to do what's best for the tribe."

"What did you decide?" His mother, Kanna, asks.

"We... do still need to discuss some of the finer details, but Amko was right. We do have to take advantage of the situation, but not his way. We have a thirteen-year-old Crown Prince asking for our help. That boy's going to be Fire Lord one day. If we can get into his head now, maybe there's a chance to change things."

"You want to win the war with... kindness," Amko says bitterly.

"What I _want_ is for the war to be over. I don't want to spend every day of the rest of my life wondering when the next Fire Nation ship will come to kill my daughter. I don't want my son to become Chief to a tribe annihilated by this war. We need to take action and we're starting now. Once this Avatar situation is resolved, I'm taking the men and we're lending our aid to the Earth Kingdom."

A chorus of wolf howls mix in with the people's cheering. Clubs and fists are raised and Hakoda grins at their excitement. 

There have been talks for months (years, really) about taking a more active role in the war. It's been difficult with how much their tribe has already suffered; they need the men for hunting, they need to defend their people from incoming Fire Nation ships. For so long it hasn't been the right time to leave their home, but now...

They've been handed a gift. It could be some nice salted deerbear meat, or maybe poison, but ignoring it gives them nothing at all. The risk is worth it.

"Bato, with me, please."

He nods and follows after his Chief as they return to their guests. The other adults slowly collect themselves and follow from a distance, veering off to their own homes when they pass the village walls.

"What are you thinking?" he asks. His best friend will never lie to him and has always stood by him even when he didn't always agree with his choices.

"I'm thinking I'm glad I'm not Chief," he says with a grin.

Hakoda shoves him in the shoulder.

"Come on. Give me something."

"This is not how I thought this day was going to go," Bato admits. "I was pretty sure I was going to be digging Sokka out of the watchtower again."

"It was looking that way. Aang is a very enabling twelve year old."

"'Koda, I think you're doing what's right. I don't like it. Nothing about any of this makes any sense and maybe going in for the kill would be easier, but... You're right. That's not us."

"Thanks. I'm glad you think so."

The two men, friends since birth, share a smile and Hakoda feels a weight lift from his shoulders. Being Chief doesn't often include a lot of very difficult choices to make. The occasional debate on a final hunt before an incoming storm, or if they should send a ship out for medicine when a fever breaks through the village. Even deciding if they should go join the war or stay home and try to survive.

None of that is quite on the same level as this.

When they step into the open village square, he's a little surprised to find the teenaged prince still standing right next to the bison's mouth, running his hands through the fur by its nose. He's clearly more comfortable around the creature than the Tribespeople, where most of the tribe won't go near either of them. Except for the children - they adore the giant fluffy creature.

"Alright, royalty with me. Kids, stay with Tulok."

"Do I stay out here too?" Aang asks from somewhere in Appa's fur.

"Yes, you can stay out here."

Iroh, Zuko, and Bato follow him into the same hut as earlier. This time he has Bato at his side instead of the Avatar and the two princes return to the opposite side of the table.

"Well?" Zuko snaps, "Are you helping us or not?"

"You want to be treated like an adult? Welcome to the adult table. Let's talk this through."

Zuko's hands curl into fists in his lap but he stays quiet.

"My people couldn't come to a unanimous decision, but I have. We're going to help, but..."

Zuko sits back and crosses his arms. A phantom pain in his left eye keeps him from saying anything.

"Here's my proposal. The thing is, Kida has informed me that she's in no shape to be a Waterbending teacher and neither are the others you brought back. They were never Masters and had limited training; they simply don't have the skill level we're looking for. Aang will have to go to the Northern Water Tribe to be properly trained. If we do that, I want to send Katara, too. Kida seems to believe that Katara will be a gifted Waterbender and would do better to be trained by a Master. And if Katara goes, Sokka will go to look after her. He'd insist on going even if I tried to stop him, so that's non-negotiable. They can take the flying bison to get there. They'll be in good hands, he'll learn his bending. I don't suppose that that will be enough to satisfy you?"

"But what happens after? We can't come and go from the Fire Nation whenever we want," Zuko says while trying to keep the bite out of his tone.

"That's what I thought. So here's my counter-offer," Hakoda continues. "Prince Zuko goes with them."

There's silence for a stretch until they realize he's done speaking.

"What do you mean?" Zuko asks.

"You go with the kids to the North Pole. You can keep an eye on him, which is what you claim to want. _Except_ \- you go in blue."

"Excuse me?"

"We might be willing to negotiate with you, but I can promise you that that won't work everywhere. You go to the Northern Water Tribe with my kids and Aang, and you go in blue. Pretend to be one of ours. You get to keep an eye on the Avatar, and I know you're at a disadvantage."

Zuko grits his teeth. He tries not to be annoyed at his uncle's silence.

"You wanted to be treated like an adult, so I'll give it to you straight. I don't trust you or your uncle. I want my kids, and the Avatar, to have the upper hand in case you decide you don't want to play nice anymore."

"I'm trying to keep him _alive_ -"

"I think it's a good idea," Iroh cuts in.

"Uncle!" Zuko objects. "I'm not a babysitter."

"But you want to protect the Avatar," Hakoda points out in a way that's close to patronizing.

"That's different! I'm here for him, I'm _not_ here to watch over your kids." He catches himself before calling them 'brats', but his temper is starting to slip out. The air in front of his mouth clouds from his overheated breath.

"That's my offer. You can take it, or you can leave. And I assure you if you try to follow them to the North Pole the way you are now... If I recall, they fought off your army the last time you tried to take the battle to them."

"I'm not listening to this - this is..." Zuko huffs and stands.

Bato's hand reaches for the club resting on the fur by his side, but Zuko's eyes only pass over him. He lands on Hakoda, expression hard and arms resting carelessly on the table. There's no pity or warmth in his face and suddenly the Water Tribe Chief is not who he's looking at anymore.

The image is gone so quickly he knows it's his own mind playing tricks on him. Despite knowing that, his heart still leaps into his throat uncomfortably. His stomach turns over and his words die on his tongue. He brings his shaking hands to his chest where he wonders briefly if his heart will actually burst through his skin. His right eye suddenly turns as cloudy as the left but the source is not an injury.

"Prince Zuko," he hears his uncle's words like a pick piercing the ice.

The Chief's face is blurred behind his tears and a wave of shame drowns him. He turns and takes a couple of wobbly steps away, but the hut's too small to get any distance. His left-hand goes further up and presses into his eye to stem away the haunting reminder of pain and a memory his nightmares won't let him forget.

"Can you please give us a moment?" Iroh asks the two men.

Zuko doesn't see their shared confused and partially worried looks. He doesn't see them nod and quietly leave the hut. He hears their steps and chooses to keep his back turned to them.

"Zuko," Iroh tries again. He's stood and approached him, but he doesn't reach out yet. "Will you tell me what's wrong?"

"I don't know," he admits.

He swallows thickly. His stomach's in tight knots and he feels like he might throw up. The morning he'd woken to find his mother gone and the world pretending she'd never existed had felt a lot like this. He remembers spending the day in bed, a chair tucked under the handle to keep Azula away. That's not an option right now, but he thinks of the ship and the small room that holds his most prized possessions and wishes he could curl in there right now.

"I don't know," he repeats and there's a hint of a sob on the last word. He moves his hand from his eye to his mouth and presses hard to shove it down.

His face is throbbing with a pain he knows isn't real, but why does it hurt so bad?

_Come on, Zuko. Don't be a cry baby._

It doesn't help.

"It's alright, Zuko." Uncle's hand falls on his shoulders and he leans into it.

He leans all the way until he's wrapped in a hug and he's crying and biting his lip to keep from making noise.

"I... I got scared for no reason," he admits while catching his breath. He doesn't move back quite yet.

One of his uncle's hands settles just beneath his phoenix tail and holds him close. He makes a soft humming sound he won't admit helps calm him.

"It's okay, Zuko, it's okay. Focus on breathing."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be." His grip grows tighter. Zuko doesn't mind.

He spends a minute in his embrace before his thoughts sort themselves out well enough to know this is not what he should be doing. He pulls himself away and wipes his face clear of tears.

"Zuko, it's normal to feel this way. You're not the only person with unpleasant memories; I've seen this in the strongest of soldiers. It's-"

"I don't want to talk about it. It's over, okay? It's done. Let's move on."

His father's face is still in his thoughts and a gross twisting in his chest reminds him that shouldn't scare him. He shouldn't be crying because he'd pictured his father's disapproval or because he'd remembered a fiery hand closing in on his eye. It was a lesson. One he'd learned. It won't happen again - his father won't do it again.

Zuko returns to his seat and his uncle decides not to press it any further. He leaves the hut for a brief moment to recollect the two men. They all walk back in and Zuko keeps his gaze on his lap. They sit down and there's comfort in the gentle brush of his uncle's robes at his elbow. 

His insides are still rolling uncomfortably and his face is warm from crying. He feels pathetic.

There's a pause as the adults don't seem to know what to say.

"Fine," Zuko snaps into the silence. His words are raspy and he clears his throat before continuing. "I'll play babysitter. We'll leave tomorrow morning. Are we done here?"

"I suppose I don't need to tell you that I expect my children home safe."

"Obviously."

"Then we're done for today." Hakoda stands, Bato following after him. "You're invited to join us for dinner, though I expect you'd prefer to stay on the ship."

"That is for the best," Iroh agrees regretfully. He's always loved trying new foods.

"I'll talk to the kids. They'll be ready by morning."

"Thank you, Chief Hakoda," Iroh says.

They all take their leave, Zuko and Iroh following after the Chief and Bato. They make to return to the ship, but Aang glides in and lands gently beside them. His expression is bright and Zuko glares at the snow, refusing to meet his gaze. His face right now will show too much.

"Hey, Zuko!" It's so... casual. And friendly. The way Ty Lee has always called out for both Azula and Mai while playing around the palace. No one has ever called for him like that (he's always been Zuzu to Azula and she'd stopped wanting him around years ago). He decides he hates it.

"What?"

"Me and Katara are going penguin sliding, do you want to come?"

"No." It comes out harsh and even out of the corner of his eye he can see the crestfallen look on the young Avatar's face. He grits his teeth and corrects, "no, _thank you_."

Aang smiles softly, "That's okay! Maybe tomorrow."

He's still for a beat and Zuko knows he's waiting for some acknowledgment. He does a quick nod even though he knows they won't have time for it tomorrow. He's not going to be the one to tell him, he'll leave that to the Chief.

Aang waves in farewell and sprints off to the young Water Tribe girl. The boy's nowhere to be seen and Zuko finds himself scanning the area for him. If he's playing at babysitter, he's going to do it well. A man of honour sticks to his word. He can already tell the Chief won't take kindly to anything happening to either of his brats, even if it is an accident. He'll need to be on his guard at all times.

He's already exhausted.

He and his uncle return to the ship. Below deck, they give the crew a quick briefing, then grab some fresh water from the kitchen for boiling and take it to Iroh's quarters to brew some tea. They take their seats and Zuko watches the near hypnotizing movements of his uncle's tea making skills.

"Uncle, how could you agree with the Chief? We should be taking the Avatar away on our ship as we discussed." He's tired and moody, he still feels out of place from whatever had transpired earlier. It doesn't come out kind.

"The Avatar's priority is going to be learning the other elements of bending and we have to enable that. If the only place to find a Waterbending Master is at the North Pole, that's where he must go. And the Chief made a valid point - it's unlikely they'll listen to what we have to say, not even with the Avatar on our side. Going in under the guise of being Water Tribe seems like the best way to complete our task."

"What will you do? It's obvious the Chief doesn't want you near the Avatar."

"My reputation precedes me, I'll admit. I can understand his concerns. But there is much I can do from the ground. I believe the Avatar will be looking for an Earthbending Master next, I can begin the search early."

The kettle steams and Iroh sets about preparing two cups of tea.

"We shouldn't be helping him," Zuko says with a frown, "If he learns the four elements, it's likely the Chief will convince him to try and overthrow my father. That's what you said, isn't it? That the Avatar will want to end the war? He'll probably think defeating Father will do that."

"That's a possibility," Iroh says. He eyes his nephew cautiously, but Zuko doesn't notice it.

"But if Father ever learns what we've been doing, he'll likely... I'll be named a traitor, probably." That's a truth Zuko's made himself accept. "Then _Azula_ will be Crown Princess. If the Avatar kills Father, she'll be Fire Lord and that would only make things worse. And I'm _not_ sitting back if he plans to go after either of them."

"It's a delicate situation we're in, Prince Zuko, but we can only do our best. You'll have plenty of time with the Avatar, and perhaps you'll learn things from each other you'd have never learned otherwise."

"Suppose so." Zuko is too tired to object any further. His eyes are weighed with fatigue. It's only afternoon, but maybe a nap will be nice. "You'll take the crew and the ship to the Earth Kingdom?"

"Yes, but I'll make arrangements to send them home. It'll be easier to travel alone."

"Are you sure that's a good idea? What if you get found out?"

"Don't worry about me, Prince Zuko. One old man is much like any other."

"If you say so."

He winds up taking his tea to his room.

There's a forming headache and muscle pains he doesn't want to associate to whatever fit he'd had in that hut. He takes a short nap to try and stem the exhaustion, but he wakes an hour later feeling worse. He spends the rest of the day in his quarters. He doesn't want to talk to anyone and it's the only way to be left alone.

He's already dreading tomorrow.

**OoOoO**

Hakoda brings his two children into their hut, leaving Bato to look after Aang. As much as his heart goes out to the orphaned Airbender, this is a better conversation had amongst family only. He'll ask his mom to make Bato his favourite meat pie as thanks for everything he's done these last few days. It's the least he owes him.

He explains, in part, the reason for the Fire Nation's visit. They're here to help Aang, not capture him. Hakoda has agreed to give them the benefit of the doubt. Neither Katara nor Sokka seems impressed, but they're still too young to openly question his choices.

"Aang needs to find a Waterbending Master. None of the Waterbenders that we're returned to us are Masters, and so many years in prison have left them rusty on the basics. He'll have to go to the Northern Water Tribe, and Prince Zuko will be joining him. The rest of their crew, including his uncle, will be taking their leave."

As predicted, Katara looks at him with big pleading eyes.

"Do you think I can go too, dad? Aang shouldn't be stuck alone with a Firebender, and I need to learn Waterbending too."

"I thought you'd say that. And I imagine, Sokka, that you'll want to go too?"

" _Obviously_. Sending the Avatar and the Fire Nation Prince out together is going to attract all sorts of trouble; I can _sense_ it. I'll go to look after Katara."

"I don't need you looking after me, I can take care of myself!" she snaps. 

Between them in the snow, a crack forms. Sokka, as he's done since they were even younger children, ignores it.

"I'm your brother, it's my job to look after you."

"No, your job is to annoy me, and congratulations! You've succeeded." 

It might have hurt his feelings if he wasn't used to it.

"You're _both_ going because I want you looking after each other, okay?" Hakoda says as mediator.

The siblings glare at each other for a moment and then glance away within the same second. Hakoda would laugh if it wouldn't turn those glares onto him instead.

"Fine," they agree.

"Good. The Prince will need to pretend to be one of ours; it's the best way to keep you all out of trouble. Can you both, please, try to educate him as much as possible on your way to the North Pole? Tell him about our customs and the way things work here. There's nothing we can do about his overall looks, the gold eyes don't exactly fit in here, but so long as he acts the part no one should question it. Can one of you check in with Gran about some clothes for him?"

"I'll go," Katara says. "Sokka would get it wrong."

Her brother, a self-identified dignified man of the Southern Water Tribe, sticks his tongue out at her.

"Thank you," he says while ignoring the comment itself. He knows not to get involved in the small petty squabbles. "Now, let's get more serious for a second. I don't necessarily trust them, but I'm giving them a chance. I expect you to do the same, but just that. One chance. If at any point Zuko poses a threat to any of you, you shove him off that flying bison and leave him behind, understood?"

"Yes, dad," they chorus.

"Good. I'm going to get supplies sorted, want to lend me a hand Sokka?"

"Yes, dad!"

"Katara, please check with Gran about the clothes before you go play with Aang."

She nods her agreement, but her expression tells him there's more on her mind.

"Dad, what happens after we learn Waterbending? Do we come home? And how long do you think it'll take? Could it take months before we..."

Katara and Sokka both stare at him, a bit sad and a bit scared.

He wraps his arms around them and brings them into a tight hug. He sighs softly. There's no procrastinating this conversation then.

"I don't know how long it'll take you to learn, Katara, but it will probably be a long while until we all see each other again. I would like for you to come home afterward, or even stay in the North for a while. I... I'm going to be taking the men and leaving for the Earth Kingdom. It's likely that I won't be here when you come back."

"Wait, what?" Sokka asks, pulling far back enough to look him in the eyes. Katara's grip on him tightens.

"It's time the Southern Water Tribe joins the war," he says. "We've been waiting for the tribe to be ready, but there might never come a good time for us to leave. The Avatar returning after one hundred years is a sign for us to take action."

"But - but who's going to do the hunting, or defend the tribe?"

"Just because the men hunt more, doesn't mean the women don't know how," Hakoda says. He pretends not to see Katara pinching her brother's side in retaliation to the insult. "The Fire Nation knows there's nothing left here for them. And if they _do_ come here, all they'll see is a tribe full of women and children."

"I guess," Sokka pouts but falls back into the hug.

"Aang will have to find an Earthbender teacher after, right? And then Firebending? He'll have to fight the Fire Lord, won't he?"

"Maybe someday." Hakoda knows it's not a choice, not really. "Try not to talk about it too much with the Prince, alright? He thinks that Aang should hide from the Fire Lord, not confront him."

"If he wants to help Aang, then he wants the war to end too, right?"

"It's not so simple. The Fire Lord is still his father, you have to remember that."

"But his father is a monster," Katara says.

"Yeah," Sokka chimes in.

"If someone came up to you and started telling you I was a monster, would you believe them on their word?"

"But you've never gone around killing people's moms."

"Let's give Zuko time to see the world for himself, okay? Right now, all you kids need to focus on is getting to the North Pole."

They reluctantly agree.

Katara finds Aang and takes a short trip to see her Gran Gran. She gets some clothes approximately Zuko's size, they tend to make things larger for growing into, and sets it aside to give him in the morning. She spends the afternoon with Aang in the snowy mountains playing with the penguins and doing her best not to think too far into the future.

Sokka follows after his dad while they prepare supplies. Some food, water canteens, spare clothes, and any medical supplies they can spare. They don't know what Zuko brings to the table in terms of supplies or skills, but they're packing with him out of mind. His sister might not have had objections to the Fire Nation Prince joining them, but Sokka is preparing himself for a journey with an enemy amongst them.

For what's left of the day, the Southern Water Tribe and the Fire Nation ship docked on their shores are quiet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed the chapter! 
> 
> It would mean a lot if you would leave a comment, even just a word or two means a lot! I often use comments as fuel to keep motivated and it definitely looks like this is going to be a large project.
> 
> (the plan is to follow the episodes in some way or other, and this is episode 1 and 2 and we're at over 20K words so. lengthy baby this one is.)
> 
> Until next week ❤


	8. The Parting of Ways

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Gaang leaves the Southern Water Tribe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!

Morning comes too soon.

"I'll send a letter to the north as soon as I can," Iroh says. "It'll come from 'Mushi'! That's going to be my Earth Kingdom name."

Zuko has stopped trying to understand his uncle's enthusiasm.

"Sure," Zuko says.

At the top of the plank connecting the snowy ground to the ship, they share their final hug before parting ways. He's not quite sure what he's feeling, precisely. A little sad to be going somewhere his uncle can't follow. A bit of excitement for the journey ahead; he's never been outside the Fire Nation before. There's a lot of pre-emptive annoyance too. He didn't stop to ask for ages, but he can tell these kids are all younger than him and his history with younger people is almost as bad as his history with older people.

"Take care, Prince Zuko. Make sure you stay warm, alright? Remember the breath of life, it could save your life one day!"

"Yes, Uncle."

"And be nice with the others. I know there are some... cultural differences, but you need to be ready to work with them."

"Yes, Uncle."

"And don't forget to apply the ointment until you run out. I know you're healed, but there's no reason not to be extra careful."

" _Yes_ , Uncle."

"And-"

"I'm leaving now! Goodbye, Uncle." Zuko steps out of the hug and ducks his head to hide his smile.

Iroh tugs him back in for another hug, but their time is up.

Zuko has one pack and his scabbard over his shoulders and that's the most of his supplies. Although the bison is spectacularly enormous, which Zuko won't admit that he already adores, he knows it's best to pack light. He pulls out of the second hug and walks down the plank where Hakoda is waiting for him. 

He turns back to the ship to watch it leave. The plank is drawn up, the sails are released, and the crew is hard at work to get them going. His uncle waves at him from the ship's stern. He raises his hand and returns the wave.

Now he knows what he's feeling. It's fear.

Not only has he never left the Fire Nation before, only ever leaving the Capital to visit Ember Island, but he's also never been away from his family. After his sister was born they'd been inseparable for years. Then while Azula was off at the Academy for Girls Zuko was at home with their mother. After Ursa had vanished, Uncle had come home from the war and spent his time training him. Just watching his silhouette grow smaller as the ship sails out makes his stomach knot with loneliness.

He turns to Hakoda and wonders if this is where his 'word' ends. Will they take the advantage to capture him? There's no betrayal in his expression, but Zuko stays alert.

"Come with me. We have a change of clothes for you."

Zuko glances down at his own outfit; he's removed his armour but he's very clearly donning red and gold. He keeps his complaints to himself, seeing as he's agreed to this. He follows Hakoda to his hut. He spots the three kids chatting with Bato and Kumaglak near the bison; Aang shoots him a smile and a wave, but the other two don't bother looking his way.

Kumaglak is from the Northern Water Tribe and has told Zuko he was captured at twenty-two, making him thirty-four years old now. Sometimes, when he looks at him, Zuko's not sure he believes him. He seems far older. His hair and chest-length beard are starting to grey in spots and he looks as palid as the others he'd picked up from the prison. His dark skin is almost ashy from malnourishment and up until he'd set foot on snow, there had only been defeat in his eyes.

Now he's smiling and it changes his entire appearance.

Zuko presses onwards. They step inside the hut and Hakoda hands him a small pile of clothes with a pair of boots that had been resting on a small table.

"Change into these. The fit won't be perfect, but see if you can make do. Here's a coat to take with you." He gestures to some thick blue furs resting next to where the clothes had been. "I know you don't need it, but when you get to the North Pole you'll be expected to wear it. Water Tribespeople don't have internal body heaters."

He only nods.

"Alright, come find us when you're done."

Hakoda steps out and Zuko's left alone in the small hut. He looks around out of curiousity before doing anything else and he's not sure why it only hits him now, but... This is it. What he's seen is the entirety of the Southern Water Tribe. This hut, with three beds made of compact snow and piled with furs for blankets and pillows, is the home shared between Hakoda and his two children. 

Zuko could wander the palace for a whole day and never bump into any of his family members.

The hut is only a sleeping space, any other utilities are shared amongst the tribe. The food is stored in a shared space and cooking and cleaning duties are delegated evenly, from what he's noticed. He sees how easily everyone talks to each other, how they share their clothes and food and space. The people he brought to them could have just as easily been seen as a burden, more mouths to feed and they aren't healthy enough yet to help with any physical labour, but he hasn't seen that thought cross any of their minds.

There's a clear distinction between how Fire Nation nobility and the Southern Water Tribe as a whole function. He sees it as clearly as if it were a line drawn in the snow.

It makes him uncomfortable, though he can't quite place why.

He slips his old clothes into his pack and guiltily wraps himself in blue. If Ozai could see him now... His mind flashes to the boy standing right outside with a genuine smile for the son of his supposed enemy and he _has_ to. His father will never know. 

The shirt is short-sleeved and crosses to the right with a belt around the waist, and it's paired with loose pants and boots just a touch too big. It appears to be the traditional style here, even the Chief doesn't dress any more elaborately, and he won't admit to appreciating the comfort of the outfit. He throws on the coat and allows his inner flame to ebb just enough to not get heatstroke. It's bulky, but he manages to get his things over his shoulders again.

He has no idea how they wear this every day.

He leaves the hut behind and wanders over to the small group huddled close by. He glances briefly at the oceanfront - their ship is still visible on the horizon but just barely.

Hakoda has joined Bato, Kumaglak, and the three kids, and he's the first to spot his approach.

"There we go! Very Water Tribe already."

Zuko bites back a grimace.

Katara takes a tentative step towards him. She reaches into the front pocket of her coat and holds out a hair tie. "Here. You're still wearing your old one."

"Oh. Right." He touches the red band wrapped around his hair. He's liking this less and less. He takes the offered hair tie and tucks it around his wrist and carefully goes about releasing his hair. With the thick fur hood, it's not so easy.

"Usually you should do it before putting on the layers," Katara says with a slightly teasing tone, almost testing the waters. "I can help, if you-" She takes another step towards him and her hands reach up.

" _No_!"

Her hands fall and so does her expression.

Hakoda frowns in his peripheral and Sokka shoots him a look. Anger is incoming and he corrects himself before it comes for him.

"I mean, no, thank you. It's... a Fire Nation thing. We don't... _do_ that," he mumbles his apology and she forces a shaky smile. He finishes tying his hair and shoves the red band deep in his pocket. 

"Sure! Yeah, that's... fine. No worries."

She ducks back to her father's side and he knows he botched that horribly. He doesn't want to explain that hair is practically sacred in the Fire Nation - you don't touch a stranger's hair. He's only ever let his mother and uncle touch his hair, and Azula when they were much younger. It's one of those things that everyone just _knows_. At least, that's what he'd thought.

"Kumaglak was telling us a bit about what you should expect from the Northern Tribe," Bato says, cutting into the tension. "They function a bit differently than we do here, but so long as you listen to what they say you should blend in well enough."

"Apparently they don't like women," Katara says with a roll of her eyes.

"It's not that," Kumaglak says. His expression is not convincing; his following words even less so. "But it's been twelve years, things may have changed."

There's a brief pause where the words sit heavy in the air and no one wants to be the one to call his bluff.

"Are you all ready to go?" Hakoda asks. 

The bison has a couple of things in his saddle already, including a tent and sleeping bags and Katara's Waterbending scrolls, and Sokka and Katara each have a bag over their shoulders. Sokka is also bringing his trusty boomerang, of course. The Avatar only has his staff in the way of personal belongings. They're all as ready as they're going to be.

"Yes, dad!"

"Yes, Chief!"

Zuko nods when Hakoda's gaze falls on him in the line.

"Suppose it's that time then," Hakoda hesitantly says.

"Have a safe journey," Kumaglak says and turns to Zuko, "I will fetch Miss Kida. She wanted to speak with you before you left."

He leaves them and it's a cue to get moving. Aang boosts himself onto his bison and fiddles with their belongings to keep himself busy and Zuko wanders around the bison to give the family some privacy.

Appa growls lowly in greeting and Zuko dodges a swipe of his tongue. He reaches into his pack and pulls out a small cloth bundle. He unwraps the handful of appleberries and drops them into Appa's already open mouth.

"That's all I had left, so no begging, okay?" 

They were going to go bad in a couple of days anyway and he's had his share on the way here. The bison appreciates them more than he would.

Zuko pets along the bison's cheek area, fingers curling into thick, soft fur. Maybe if he brings enough home he can get someone to make a blanket out of it. Appa tilts into his hand and nudges him into the right nooks and crannies to relieve an itch.

He glances over at the Chief and he has Katara in his arms. Sokka is holding onto Bato tight enough that his face is twisted in discomfort but he doesn't ask the boy to let go.

Zuko searches for the ship at sea. He thinks he can still see the top of the sails, but that might be a trick of the eye. Wishful thinking, maybe.

Next, he looks up and sees Aang no longer touching the ties holding down their supplies and instead has turned his focus to the Water Tribe family. His expression is one that's envious, if monks can even feel that. They've told him the fate of the Air Nomads. If he's truly spent a hundred years in ice, then all the people he'd once known are dead.

If Zuko's already missing his uncle, he doesn't want to know how Aang must be feeling.

It's that expression, eyes sad and lips missing the smile that's becoming familiar, that cements the idea that he's doing the right thing. He might be dressed in blue, but his determination is all Fire Nation.

Kida approaches with a smile and a steady step and he looks away from the young Avatar. She looks healthier, as do all of the ex-prisoners, and her hair has several braided strands with the appropriate beads and she looks right in her Water Tribe garbs. Her gloved hands fall on his shoulders and she gives him a squeeze.

"Zuko! I'm glad I could see you before you left."

"Likewise, Miss Kida," he says, copying the title the others had given her.

"I wish I could help train the Avatar and Katara, but I haven't done any proper Waterbending in years, and we haven't had any Masters since Hama was taken away nearly fifty years ago."

"I'm sure we'll do fine in the north."

"Yes, but just... be careful that they don't learn your identity. Prisoners talk, you know? The Northern Water Tribe is... different from us."

"I'm getting the feeling I won't like it there very much."

Her smile has a tinge of laughter to it, "probably not. Be safe, Prince Zuko."

"I'll try."

Her arms drop and she grabs his hands instead. He'd normally put up a fuss about it, but the part of him that pretends she isn't his enemy respects her. Plus his mother had always taught him to treat his elders with respect.

"That boy, on that ship, that cared about the treatment of his people's prisoners? I truly believe that that might be the real Zuko. If you let that part of you shine through, you _will_ gain their trust. And maybe one day I'll have the honour of telling the world that Fire Lord Zuko gave me back my freedom and that of my people."

"You shouldn't have so much faith in me. It never bodes well for anyone."

His words start choked and he forces out the rest.

He thinks of Ursa and her final words to him. He remembers his uncle giving him a chance to join the War Council and how horribly that had gone. Even Azula once thought him the absolute _best_ brother in the entire world, until she'd started seeing his flaws. Now he's a disappointment.

He'll disappoint Kida too.

"Let an old woman have her way." She releases his hands and they fall limply to his sides. "Safe travels, Prince Zuko."

"Thank you."

She pats his cheek in parting and takes her leave.

Hakoda and Bato finish hugging the two kids and they all climb onto the bison. The four of them settle into the saddle after tying down their last few bags, though he and Sokka keep hold of their weapons. Aang moves up to the reigns.

"You guys say this thing flies, right?" Zuko asks. So far it's all been word of mouth; he hasn't seen the bison do more than sniff at his pockets and sleep.

"We weren't too sure at first, too, but he does. We've seen it for ourselves. Aang says that they're the ones who taught the Air Nomads how to Airbend," Katara explains distractedly.

Her and Sokka lean slightly over the edge of the saddle and wave at the two men and the gathered villagers, one of which is their beloved grandmother. 

From the front of the bison, Aang shouts, "Yip yip!"

The bison takes off and he, and the two Water Tribe children, hold on tight to the saddle to keep from falling off. The sound of good wishes from the tribe fades as they fly into the clear blue sky. The bison straightens out after reaching a decent height and they can finally let go without risk of falling off.

Likely because he's used to this, Aang stays focused on his onward journey. On the other hand, Zuko and the others turn around in the saddle to stare at what's behind them. The Southern Water Tribe is distant now and there's only ocean beneath them. Zuko closes his left eye to see better and watches as the huts and people grow smaller and smaller. Katara and Sokka continue to wave until they can no longer make out their father's face.

Zuko turns away from the Water Tribe and searches across the bright blue ocean and out east he can spot his Uncle's ship sailing north-east. They're flying more north-west and the distance continues to grow between them.

After a moment, they sit back and instantly the mood turns awkward.

Sokka crosses his arms and glares at Zuko. Katara stares at the water. Aang is content to have a moment of silence, it seems. 

Zuko is normally pretty okay with silence too, but he does have a couple of questions and decides now is better than later.

"Can you tell me more about what Kumaglak had to say about the Northern Water Tribe? Miss Kida made it clear that they can't know that I'm Fire Nation, though I could have figured that much out for myself. I assume they'll try to kill me if they find out."

"They don't let women learn Waterbending," Katara says bitterly. "Apparently some Waterbenders can also heal, and that's all their women are allowed to learn. We'll see about that when we get there. I'm not letting some old man tell me I'm not allowed to learn whatever I want to learn."

"If that's their traditions," Sokka says with an airy wave of his hand.

"Traditions are meant to make people happy and have them respect and appreciate their culture; I doubt their women are happy to be treated like subpar human beings." She crosses her arms and scowls.

"That's all I know about the Northern Water Tribe, too," Zuko comments. "They're old-fashioned enough to be practically ancient. They haven't evolved in centuries. We likely consider your people savages purely based on how they view their women, honestly."

"If anyone should be called savage it's the Fire Nation," Sokka snaps.

"At least we treat our women with respect," he bites back. "If Azula were born first, she'd be next in line for Fire Lord without question."

"Who's Azula?" Aang asks.

They all startle and turn to him. With Appa pointed in the right direction, he's turned around and has been listening to them talk.

"My little sister. She's eleven and a Firebending prodigy. Her fire's _blue_."

None of the others really know what that means, but he says it darkly enough that they can figure out it means something important.

"Well, your fire is gold, so that's special too, isn't it?" Aang asks.

He waves his hand in the same nonchalant way Sokka had dismissed his sister only a minute ago, "that's one word for it. All I know is, it hasn't improved my Firebending."

He instantly regrets sharing that piece of information. His lack of Firebending skill is a shameful family secret. Even after that victorious Agni Kai... that hadn't even been him.

"Anything else about the Northern Tribe I should know?" he asks before any of them can inquire further into that last topic.

"Well, if you ever use the word savage about any of our people again, your identity won't stay secret for long." Katara's smile is tight.

He wisely chooses to take her seriously.

"Anything else?"

"Their Chief is named Arnook, and he and his wife Ilannaq have a daughter named Yue. Their Master Waterbender is Pakku and he's the one we need to convince to teach me Waterbending." She tacks on, "And Aang, of course, but he's a boy so that won't be an issue."

"Wouldn't the Chief have the final say?"

"In theory, yes, but Kumaglak says he defers if it's outside his specialties and Chief Arnook isn't a Waterbender. He'll listen to whatever Pakku has to say."

They're passing over the last of the icebergs and he's already getting too hot in the fluffy coat. He tugs it off and adds it amongst their other belongings while saying, "suppose we'll have to wait and see what he's like then."

He returns to his seat and with a frown, Sokka leans across the saddle and grabs his left wrist. His hold isn't strong and Zuko easily tugs out of it, but not before he points out the obvious.

"Is that a handprint?"

The back of his wrist is pink and scarred across the surface, just like his eye, but it's the underside that shows the distinct lines of fingers.

"It's none of your business!" he snaps.

"Sorry, sorry," Sokka says to mollify him. His hands are raised defensively, but his eyes are still on his arm.

Zuko crosses them, hiding his wrist beneath the other arm. He glares off into the distance with pursed lips and it's clear he has nothing else to say.

Sokka and his sister share a look. They're both curious, and even a bit concerned, but they take Zuko's queue and drop it for now. Sokka dramatically pulls a map out of his pocket and unfurls it on the floor of the saddle.

"Okay!" he says loudly to get all their attention, although he'd already had it. "Here's the route me and dad think we should use to get us up north. Since we don't want people knowing the Avatar is back, we have to hide from towns as much as possible."

He draws a line across the map, going north/north-west over the ocean between the Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom and then going up and around the Earth Kingdom entirely up to the North Pole.

"It's not as fast as just going straight through, and we'll have to watch out for any Fire Nation ships, but we'll be out of the way of any large cities and there's a lot of small islands we can use for rest stops." He looks up with a pleased smile.

Zuko reaches forward and turns the map around so he can see it properly. He eyes the imaginary line Sokka had drawn with his fingertip. He points to the east side of the map.

"Why don't we go through here and avoid the Fire Nation entirely?"

"Maps can be a bit misleading; if we go over the ocean at the east of the Earth Kingdom, we're actually going to end up on the west end of the Fire Nation," he gestures to the left side of the map where there is water between the map's cut off point and the start of the Fire Nation capital. "It would at least triple our travel time."

"We also probably want to avoid Ba Sing Se," Katara adds. She pokes the name on the map of the giant city sitting on the north-east side of the Earth Kingdom.

"I've never been," Aang says, "we should visit!"

"That's the exact opposite of what we should do," Sokka says.

"You know, Ba Sing Se could be a good place to lay low," Zuko comments offhandedly. "It's the safest place to hide from the war; for the next while, anyway. It's big enough for the bison and if you say you're an Airbender and hide the Avatar thing, they'd likely offer you refuge."

"We're not going to Ba Sing Se," Sokka says, his eyes not leaving the map.

"All I'm saying is that Aang should be considering a longterm plan. Going to the North Pole is going to put you all more at risk because he'll have to tell them he's the Avatar. That's something he should be thinking about."

Aang frowns and stares down at his hands in thought. "I..."

"We're going to the North Pole. Katara needs her Waterbending training so she can stop destroying my watchtower."

She rolls her eyes but her smile is playful. Probably not much of an accident.

"It's up to you," Zuko shrugs. He can try that route again later. He slides over to his pack and pulls out a tightly curled scroll. "Here." He tosses it over to Sokka who awkwardly manages to catch it.

"What's this?"

"A map. The one you're using is at least fifty years outdated."

"...Really?" Sokka lays out the new map next to his own, it has red edges with fancy gold linework just to prove this is some rich person's map. 

A lot of islands between the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom have gone from traced in green to red. The property lines around Ba Sing Se have even further expanded. This map doesn't name the four Air Temples even if their shapes are still drawn.

"We have a lot of colonies across the islands. I suggest we stay closer to the Earth Kingdom docks."

"And that doesn't seem weird to you at all, does it?" Sokka mutters.

"What would you know?" Zuko glares at him.

Sokka doesn't comment any further about that but holds his gaze.

"You can put the map away for now," Aang says cheerfully, "I know the way to our first stop!"

The two boys break their staring contest and all three of them turn to look at Aang.

"Where are we going?" Katara asks and Sokka follows immediately with, "Is it on the way?"

"The Southern Air Temple!" Aang says, smile wide.

All three of them share a look. Katara turns her concerned gaze back to him, "Aang, are you sure that's a good idea?"

"Of course it is. I know what your dad said, but maybe some of the monks are still there. We won't know if we don't look right?"

"I guess," she looks at her brother for support but he grimaces and shakes his head. "But... the Fire Nation were very, uh, thorough, from what I know."

Sokka pointedly stares at the map to keep himself out of this conversation.

"They're probably just hiding. The only way to get to any of the Temples is with a sky bison, and the Fire Nation doesn't have any of those!"

"They did have dragons," Zuko points out, "And our technology has always been more advanced than everyone else's. Don't get your hopes up; you're going to be disappointed."

"Zuko..." Katara chides gently.

"We'll just have to wait and see!" Aang turns back around to face the front and the incoming ocean. He grabs hold of Appa's reigns. Zuko, with his good eye, can see how tight his grip is around the rope.

To the Southern Air Temple.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh Zuko. He's kind of a dumbass but we love him. 
> 
> I have a Tumblr with the same URL if you want to chat at all :) I also post some stuff regarding this story if you want some more insight into my thoughts on certain things.
> 
> Also, Chapter 8 and we're finally done Episode 2, so I have no idea how long this story is going to be.
> 
> ** For my thoughts on the NWT women thing. I don't care if a culture has 'roles' for their men and women, whether I agree or not is irrelevant as I'm not part of that culture and my opinion doesn't matter. But I do think that traditions and such should be agreed/accepted by all impacted parties. It's obvious the NWT women don't get to decide or choose what they can or can't learn, it's forced on them, and that I'm not okay with and that's going to be made clear in the story. 
> 
> See you all in a week :)


	9. The Southern Air Temple

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Gaang arrives at the Southern Air Temple.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SAT time. Enjoy :)
> 
> Trigger Warning: dead people (sort of same as canon SAT episode)

It's beautiful.

Aang guiding Appa around mountains and into what feels very much like a straight dive is less beautiful. When they straighten and the Southern Air Temple comes into view, Zuko glances around to make sure the others, and they're belongings, are all still onboard.

"Wow, Aang, it's amazing!" Katara exclaims.

"We're home, buddy!" Aang pats Appa who releases a low rumble in answer, "we're home."

They land at the bottom of a tall set of stairs at the very base of the tall structure. It's not winter yet, but they're far from the ground and the entire temple has a thin layer of snow. There's a chill in the air that has Zuko considering putting the coat back on. He doesn't, partly for easier maneuverability, and mostly because he's too stubborn to admit defeat to the elements.

Aang is the first off Appa's back and instantly makes a run for the stairs. He shouts for them to hurry.

Zuko follows their lead and leaves his things on the bison. He jumps off Appa's back and trails after the two siblings. Sokka takes a second to shoot him a distrustful glare as if Zuko were the type to strike when someone's back is turned.

"I wonder if there'll be some food around here..." Sokka says. "Maybe some rabbitpig or snowcoweel. There's probably no seals around here though."

"Seriously, Sokka? You're lucky to be one of the first outsiders to _ever_ visit an Air Temple and all you can think about is food?"

"We only have so many supplies. And a fancy temple isn't going to fill up my belly."

"You're an idiot."

At the top of the stairs, they veer off to the right where Aang is waiting for them to catch up. He's bouncing from one foot to the other with the brightest grin on his lips.

The walls and floors are crumbling with age and the wind has blown in some fallen leaves and sticks. There are overgrown vines wedged in cracks and a fine layer of dust where the wind can't reach. A couple of abandoned bird nests rest in the corners of old torches. It still has touches of elegance amidst the ruins, but Zuko can envision how grand it must have looked once.

He points to a wide opening near them, "so that's where my friends and I would play airball!" 

They get close enough to see an arena filled with tall wooden posts. Some of the bases are rotted through, but it's in fairly good condition.

"And over there is where the bison would sleep, and..."

He releases a soft sigh. He walks further down the hall to the wide-open space that once lead to the bison's sleeping area and he stares across the desolate grounds.

"Aang? What's wrong?" Katara asks, coming up to his side.

"This place used to be full of monks and lemurs and bison. Now there's just a bunch of weeds. I can't believe how much things have changed."

"I'm sorry, Aang," she says.

Zuko watches Sokka shuffle awkwardly for a second before he leaps to Aang's other side with a wide grin.

"So, uh, this airball game. How do you play?"

Somehow, in a few short minutes, Zuko and Katara find themselves on the sidelines of the airball field. Sokka is standing precariously on one side and Aang is on the other as gentle footed as ever.

"I really don't know how he expects to..." Zuko lets his words trail off.

Aang tosses the ball across the field with a swipe of air and Sokka lunges to catch it. He misses and falls the four feet to the ground. Zuko and Katara both flinch at the thud and lean forward to try and spot him. His arm lifts and his thumb is up to show he's okay.

Katara looks over at Zuko in the way she might look at her father so they can share some solidarity against Sokka's shenanigans. She meets his gaze and averts it just as quickly.

They watch as Aang knocks Sokka down several times in a row. Zuko will give Sokka credit for his tenacity; he obviously has no chance in a game for Airbenders but is doing his best to cheer up the other boy. 

He remembers late nights with Azula tucked under his blankets with a book he'd read out loud with all the voices to help the nightmares fade. It made him feel like an absolute idiot, but it made her laugh. They may be elements apart, but that feeling of responsibility is shared between them. Must be a big brother thing.

"Katara, check this out!" Sokka calls for his sister.

She walks away and Zuko stays put.

Aang floats down from his post to join him. His smile is wide, so Sokka's efforts have clearly made a difference.

"Guess I won the game!" he exclaims.

"It's probably better played with other Airbenders," Zuko points out.

Aang scratches the back of his head and laughs lightly, "Yeah, I guess so. He put up a good fight, though!"

"He did," Zuko admits. "So this is the Air Temple where you lived?"

"Yeah! Air Nomads travel a lot though; flying bison is the best way to get around. I used to go to the Fire Nation to spend time with my friend Kuzon, and my friend Bumi is in Omashu. He's _hilarious_ , you have to meet him! We can stop on our way to the North Pole."

"I still think considering finding somewhere to stay would be smart. I know this place is empty, and might not have the best memories, but it'd be safe."

"I'm sure we'll be alright," Aang shrugs like it's not a big deal and Zuko doesn't know how to make him see what's really going on.

"You have to _hide_ , Aang. If the Fire Nation finds out you're alive they're going to come after you. Katara might need to go learn how to control her Waterbending, but you need to focus on not... on not getting found. That needs to be your priority." He can't get himself to look into those big naive eyes and tell him that the Fire Nation will kill him if they catch him. Maybe it'd get his point across, but he can't do it.

"Come on, Zuko, I'm sure it's not that bad!"

His eyes shift to the side. Zuko's eyes narrow and focus in on his expression. He has spent years trying to figure out when Azula is lying to him, to no avail of course, but he's learned to find the signs in worse liars.

"It is that bad, but you already know that, don't you?"

Aang meets his gaze with a sad smile, "Chief Hakoda told me some things, but it can't really be as bad as he says. It doesn't... it makes no sense. Everything was fine before..."

"A lot can happen in a hundred years."

"I guess..."

"How'd you end up in an iceberg, anyway?" Zuko asks his most burning question.

"Aang! There's something you need to see." Katara calls out from the back end of the arena.

"Okay!" he returns the shout and shoots him a grin, "maybe later?"

He's off before Zuko can think to respond. 

By the time he catches up, they're continuing on. Whatever they'd wanted to show Aang was clearly nothing they thought he needed to see. He trails behind the squabbling siblings while Aang guides them further into the temple.

They stop at Monk Gyatso's statue for a short while, Aang taking a moment to pay his respects. It's not as large as the statues in the Fire Nation, made of rock rather than steel, and it was obviously carved with love. Every part of it is polished and refined and the face has the depth of a real expression. They must have brought in an Earthbender to carve the careful details.

Aang leads them away to their next stop; the Air Temple Sanctuary where he's supposedly meant to meet someone.

The temple itself is mostly open concept. There are long hallways with only a few spread out beams to hold the roof, and where there are walls there are also big windows with no glass. Aang's next stop is further inside the building and the sound of wind cuts out as walls surround them. 

They reach a giant wooden door with three of the Air Nomad symbols in its center wrapped around by a series of elaborate pipes ending in two openings. A tree to its left has overgrown in the last century and is curling around the door itself.

Zuko's never seen anything like it before, but he has heard about something similar at the Fire Temple on Crescent Island. Some sort of Avatar thing.

"Aang, no one could have survived in there for a hundred years," Katara points out.

"It's not impossible! I survived in the iceberg for that long."

"Good point," she agrees.

"Whoever's in there might help me figure out this Avatar thing!"

"Why do you think there's someone in there anyway?" Zuko asks.

"Monk Gyatso told me that the person in the Sanctuary will be able to guide me on my Avatar journey."

"Right..."

"I don't suppose you have a key for this thing?" Sokka asks. He goes up to the door and he's just tall enough to poke at the bottom of the pipes. 

A layer of dust lifts and gently glides down onto his face. His sneeze echoes off the walls. In the distance, a few birds squawk in alarm.

"The key, Sokka, is Airbending," Aang says with a proud smile.

Sokka sulks out of the way and falls in beside his sister.

Aang spreads his arms and thrusts them forward, releasing a strong gust of wind. It travels through the two pipes and hits each of the Air Nomad symbols in turn, making them spin and turn purple. It blows out at the end like a horn and there is an audible click as the inner mechanism unlocks the door.

He has to tug it open, the old wood creaking the entire way. The branches of the tree grown in the door frame crack and break apart. More dust falls down that he brushes aside with a sweep of air. 

"Hello?" Aang calls out, "anyone home?"

His words echo back at him.

The room is dark and dry. The doorway is the only source of light and the late afternoon sun gives them enough to see the room's contents.

"Statues? It's just a bunch of statues." Sokka stops in front of a carved short woman with familiar clothes and hairstyle.

As far as they can see the room is filled with statues of various people in some odd circular pattern.

Zuko lifts his hand with the intent to create a flame in an effort to give them a bit more light. He feels the flame move up to his hand, but nothing appears when he flicks his hand. It doesn't happen because that would make sense and nothing Avatar related is simple.

All along the walls, at every two meter intervals and all the way to the ceiling, long-dead torches light up in gold. They all startle at the sudden onset of fire. Aang and Katara both slip in behind Sokka who holds his boomerang up high with a sad excuse for a battle face on. Zuko maybe gasps, but it's no louder than any of their screams so he'll deny it.

Sokka turns his weapon toward Zuko, "what are you doing?!"

"Nothing!" he denies, "this is that stupid spirit nonsense."

He doesn't bother trying to extinguish the flames; he's learned his lesson about that. Out of annoyance, he shoots a blast of fire at one of the torches right beside the door. The metal contraption falls to the ground with a loud clang. The coals spill across the floor and each piece remains lit in gold. Zuko lets out a frustrated growl and crosses his arms.

Katara walks away from her brother to the next statue over and inspects the details. "Aang, do you know who these people are?"

"I'm not sure, but it feels like I know them somehow..." Aang wanders further into the room, staring at the rows of people.

Zuko follows. He's mostly annoyed by spirits toying with his Firebending and doesn't care much more about this room at all. Sokka is close behind him, boomerang in hand.

"Look! This one's an Airbender!" Aang says, pointing to one of the statues with arrows tattooed on their skin identical to his own.

"And this one's a Waterbender," Katara indicates the one to the Airbender's right. She walks down the line. "They're in a pattern, see? Air, water, earth, and fire."

Even before the war, although the countries were at peace, they were still very much separate. Clothes and hair and jewelry and tattoos are unique to each element and it's easy to tell them apart.

"That's the Avatar cycle," Aang comments with a thoughtful look on his face.

Katara puts the pieces together, "that's it! They're Avatars; they're your past lives, Aang."

"Wow! There are so many!"

The room is filled to the ceiling with statues. Even with the torches lit they can hardly see all the way up.

"Past lives? Katara, you really believe in that stuff?" Sokka asks. He still refuses to lower the boomerang.

"It's true," she says. "When the Avatar dies, they're reincarnated into the next nation in the cycle. That's what Gran Gran always said."

"Right, just like all this ' _magic_ ' fire," Sokka says.

"I'm not doing anything!" Zuko snaps back.

" _Sure_ you're not."

Aang stops in front of the last statue in the circle; there's a tall woman in Earthbending clothes to its left but none to its right. It's a tall man with a long beard in familiar robes. Zuko stops near him and inspects the obvious Firebender. The crown in his hair is similar to the one the Fire Lord wears.

He glances over at Aang who's eyes seem glazed. There's no reason to be staring so long and it's getting concerning.

Katara places a hand on his shoulder, "Aang?" When there's no response, she gives him a shake. "Aang! Snap out of it!"

He blinks repeatedly and dazedly says, "huh?"

"Who is that?" she asks.

"That's Avatar Roku. The Avatar before me."

"A Firebender? No wonder I didn't trust you when we first met," Sokka cuts in with a very pointed look at Zuko.

Zuko, in turn, ignores him. He stares back up at the face of the older man. Avatar Roku. Like all Fire Nation citizens, he knows the name and the story.

How Roku became greedy with power and thought himself above all others. How he turned against Sozin and his own people. That he sided with the Air Nomads when they struck and helped kill hundreds of civilians and soldiers alike. That when Sozin confronted him, he refused to see reason and the Fire Lord used the strength of the comet to take him down.

"There's nothing written," Katara says, looking at the base of the statue for any sort of inscription. "How do you know his name?"

"I don't know. I just know it somehow." Aang smiles.

"You just couldn't get any weirder," Sokka comments.

Zuko glances between the statue and Aang and decides to keep the story to himself. Perhaps the monks attacked, but... Aang is twelve. Even if he had been a child soldier, he would have been too young to really make any decisions for himself. He can learn about what they've done on his own.

Besides. Staring at the statue of the Avatar that hurt his people might stir anger in his gut, but he's still more upset about spirit interference. Sokka's glaring is getting heavy.

There's a rustling by the door.

Katara tugs Aang behind Avatar Roku and Sokka and Zuko slip behind the Earthbender. The boomerang has finally changed targets.

Zuko rests his hand on the hilt of his dao blades. A shadow grows across the floor and its shape seems... odd.

"Firebender. Nobody make a sound," Sokka says.

"But you're making a sound!" Katara grumbles back.

"Shh!" Sokka and Aang both shush her.

Zuko's eyes go skyward. He bites down a comment. If it actually were a Firebender, they'd all be burnt to a crisp by now.

He swipes the boomerang out of Sokka's hands. The boy mimics shouting but somehow actually doesn't say a word. Zuko kneels down and rests the boomerang on the ground right on the edge of the statue. He tilts its reflective surface to get a look. It's not exactly a mirror, but he can get enough of an image that even his bad vision can make out what's approaching.

He drops the boomerang in Sokka's lap and straightens up. He dusts his pants and says in a forced nonchalance, "it's just some sort of animal."

He walks down the row of statues and eventually he hears three sets of footsteps follow after him. Near the doorway is an animal he's never seen before. The creature is small and white with some brown colourings. It has big pointed ears and a thin tail. It tilts its head up at Zuko and makes a chirping sound.

Aang peaks around his shoulder and exclaims, "lemur!" He bends down and reaches a hand out to try and coax it closer. "Hey! You're going to be my new pet. My name is Aang."

It chirps again and scratches one of its big ears.

Zuko pats his pockets, but there's no food to be found. He should have kept some of those appleberries.

"Do you have any food on you?" he asks Aang. The boy frowns and shakes his head.

Sokka gets closer to the lemur and pokes its head with the tip of his boomerang, "maybe it can be our dinner."

"Sokka!" Aang cries out in full offense. He looks back at the lemur, "he doesn't mean that - don't listen to him."

"What? I'm being _smart_."

The lemur spreads out its arms and wings stretch from its sides to its hands. Much like everything associated with the Air Nomads, the lemur flies. Sokka reaches out for it, but the lemur is off the ground and out of the room too quickly.

"Wait! Come back!"

Aang runs out after the lemur and Sokka joins the chase.

Zuko feels a little bit queasy at the thought of eating the cute little lemur. He's a prince - he's never had to consider where his food came from. He's brought some food too, and conceptually he knew he'd have to get more, but he has money for that sort of thing. 'Living off the land' is not something a prince does. He's not going to tell Sokka that. 

He glances over at Katara and she shrugs like this is normal behaviour for them.

"Sokka always thinks with his stomach," she explains. "He might be an idiot, but we do only have so much food. We'll have to stop to hunt or do some gathering soon."

"I'm not eating the lemur."

Katara laughs, "you won't have to. Sokka's hunting weakness is anything that flies. He's never caught a duckseal in his life. Even with the boomerang."

"Does he actually know how to use that thing?"

"He does! I don't know _why_ , but he does. But I guess it's the same thing with that sword of yours." She points at the scabbard hung across his back.

"They're dao blades," he corrects haughtily, "and I'll have you know I'm _quite_ good with them."

"Of course, of course, didn't mean to offend your fragile masculinity."

He glares and she turns away with a proud smile at getting the upper hand. She points at Avatar Roku, "do you know anything about him? He's obviously Fire Nation."

He stiffens, but she doesn't spot it.

"I know some things. We... He's not..." He stumbles over his words a couple of times and she stares at him curiously. He settles with, "he wasn't a very good person. That's all I know."

"Really? That's it?" she presses.

"He betrayed the Fire Nation and we don't make a habit of glorifying our traitors by putting them in our history books. I don't know anything about him."

"What do you mean he betrayed the Fire Nation? What did he do?"

"It's not important."

"Do you even know what he did?" she goads, "Or do you just hate him because you were told to hate him?"

"Of course I do!"

And he does. It's the specifics that are a bit vague, that's all.

Her lips part to probably poke fun at him some more but suddenly the room grows darker. The torches, in the span of a couple of seconds, extinguish from the top of the room down to the bottom. The door is still open and the sunlight is coming in, but the difference in lighting still catches them by surprise.

"I didn't do it," Zuko immediately denies.

He's staring upward at the now lightly smoking torches. Katara pokes him in the shoulder and he turns to see what she's looking at.

The eyes on the statue start glowing blue. And then it moves on to the Earthbender at his left, and then the Waterbender to her left, and so on until all the statues are bathed in some sort of silvery-blue light.

Zuko intends to proclaim his innocence once more, but Katara is already ahead of him.

"Aang!"

She rushes out of the room and Zuko follows. Of course. The bridge between the Spirit World and the real world would make all the statues glow creepily.

They follow the sound of rushing wind out in the distance, much different from the chilly breeze they'd left behind earlier. Sokka shouts somewhere ahead and it spurs them on faster. Katara is first through a set of curtains standing in the place of a door and they're both instantly hit with gusts of wind.

Their hands raise to protect their eyes and they approach Sokka who's hiding behind a large fallen log. They kneel behind it for protection and they can only stare in wonder.

In the middle of the room, Aang is floating inside a sphere of air speeding around him, knocking dirt and debris all over the room. His tattoos and eyes are glowing the same blue as the statues in the Sanctuary. Zuko hasn't known him very long, but this is the first sight into what this Avatar business is all about and it's terrifying.

"What happened?" Katara asks. She has to raise her voice to be heard above the wind.

"He found out Firebenders killed Gyatso!"

Zuko's stomach turns.

He'd known this, somewhere in his subconscious. All the Air Nomads were killed, so of course Aang's mentor had been one of them. But now, he takes a more thorough look around the room and... this is...

"This must be the Avatar spirit! He must have triggered it. I'm going to try and calm him down!"

She walks around the log and starts toward the glowing Avatar.

"Do it before he blows us off the mountain!" Sokka shouts at her retreating figure.

She doesn't get close. The sphere only expands and she's knocked off her feet. Sokka inches forward around the log to get to her and huddles in around her. She shoves her face into his shoulder and they cover themselves as the walls tear bit by bit. The earth cracks and shatters outwards until they're in an open space with only a few surviving support beams holding bits of roof.

Rocks tumble off the side of the mountain, but the noise is fully drowned by the whirling tornado around Aang.

Zuko stays behind the log. He turns his back to the wind and shields his head.

He has no idea what to do here. If this continues, Aang will destroy the entire temple and them with it. But what can he do? His heart feels weighted with concern and it's for all of them. His eyes burn but he bites down on his bottom lip to stem the flow. No more being a crybaby - he has to do something.

"Aang! I know you're upset, and I know how hard it is to lose the people that you love. I went through the same thing when I lost my mom." That's Katara.

He risks a glance over the top of the log and watches her shout into the wind. Sokka's wrapped around her to protect her from flying debris, but her focus is only on her friend.

"Monk Gyatso and the other Airbenders may be gone, but you still have a family. Sokka and I, we're your family now!"

Somehow, it seems to get through to the angry Avatar. The wind slows and he floats back down to the ground. Anything held in the air by his Airbending falls to the floor and there are soft thuds as dirt and rocks and branches land. He slips to his knees and his gaze is cast down to the ground. He's still glowing, but it's fainter.

Katara and Sokka walk up to him.

Zuko doesn't. He stands and takes a couple of steps, but he doesn't go further. He watches them kneel beside him. Sokka puts an arm around his shoulders and Katara grabs his hand.

"We're not going to let anything happen to you, I promise," Sokka says so gently that Zuko hardly hears it. This time, there's no look his way.

The glowing stops. Aang slumps against Katara and mumbles, "I'm sorry."

"It's okay. It wasn't your fault."

"But you were right. Chief Hakoda was right. If the Firebenders made it here, then they made it to the other temples. I really am the last Airbender."

The very last of an entire people.

Zuko can't imagine how Aang must be feeling and he doesn't want to. That sympathy that Katara and Sokka are emitting he can't give himself the freedom to feel. He's not here to make friends or 'family'.

He finally moves. He walks around them and stops near the remains of Monk Gyatso, except he veers left. Through his anger, Aang had managed to still show kindness to what was left of his enemies. The bones of his people are mostly unmoved. What's left of their armour is rusted and the colours are faded through. He picks up an old helmet.

Its sharp edges have dulled over time and he brushes off a layer of dust and snow. He's never seen this particular style in person, only ever in drawn images. This thing is nearly a hundred years old.

He looks up and stares around at what's a gravesite for maybe a dozen Firebenders and one Master Airbender.

There's shuffling behind him. He vaguely hears Katara coaxing Aang back to his feet and he offers to show her some game he used to play with Monk Gyatso. It doesn't hold the same energy as it would have only minutes ago, but Zuko's confident he'll be back to his bubbly self by morning.

That's two. Footsteps draw nearer and he knows it's Sokka.

"This was a massacre."

"... Yeah." The word comes out choked.

Sokka doesn't immediately say anything else. His silence unnerves him and he shoots a quick look over his shoulder. The younger boy is glancing around the room, eyes training on certain spots with a glimmer of intelligence in his eyes he's seen in his own sister before. He's painting a picture in his mind of past events that Zuko will never be able to see himself.

He can, however, get the gist of it.

The walls have mostly crumbled around them and rooms that had once been hidden from view are now visible to them. There are more skeletons beyond the perimeter of the walls that had once stood. All of them have some bits of orange peeking through the snow. Dead Fire Nation soldiers and Air Nomads surround them. But that's not what Sokka's looking at. 

Scorch marks are along the floors, on pillars, on parts of roof still standing. Zuko can easily recognize dents caused by blades; either swords or daggers. Inspecting the bones even closer, it's obvious that the Air Nomads were hurt, and some quite badly. He spots breaks and cracks from skulls to ankles. Clothes that were burnt through leaving black marks on the bones themselves.

And the Fire Nation corpses, far less in number than the Air Nomads and only surrounding Monk Gyatso, look perfectly healthy. Their lungs, long decayed, were emptied of oxygen and they died instantly. Just as the stories had always said about the power of the Airbenders.

One man killed a dozen, probably taking himself along with them, but their army killed the rest of his people and went home the victors.

It was a massacre.

On Air Nomad soil.

He tosses the helmet over the cliffside.

Sokka flinches in his peripheral when it clangs loudly all the way down.

They walk out in silence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really wanted to do one episode per chapter but like. Eh. SAT is being split in two.
> 
> I emphasized the massacre here although the show didn't show us a lot, since it's for kids and all. I'm trying to stick between realistic/gruesome and the show's kid-friendly style. Hopefully it works? 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed :) Feedback is always appreciated!


	10. The Final Rites

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Gaang at the Southern Air Temple - Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part dos :)

It takes them a few minutes to find Katara and Aang who've wandered back to the clearing that had once been a bison sleeping space. Aang's brought out what Zuko recognizes as a pai sho board - he's not at all surprised to learn his uncle's favourite game is at least a hundred years old.

Appa's joined them and is lying between the kids and the ledge like a big fluffy barrier. They've unloaded their belongings and have taken off the saddle to let Appa have a proper rest. It looks like they'd started getting a fire ready, based on the little bundle of sticks stacked near them, but they have since diverted their attention to playing a game instead.

The lemur has decided to reappear too. It's curled up beside Aang with a pile of berries that both Aang and Katara are sneaking snacks from.

Aang waves when he spots them approaching. Katara's seated facing away from the entrance and turns slightly to see them.

"We decided we should spend the night since it's getting late," she says.

"And Appa needs his rest," Aang adds.

The sun isn't quite touching the horizon yet, but it'd be dark by the time they found a new place to settle further north.

"Works for me," Sokka says.

He delegates tasks and Zuko doesn't have the energy to complain. He and Sokka finish collecting wood and he starts the fire with a simple flick of the wrist. He ignores Sokka's comment about whether or not they can use his weird fire for cooking. Katara uses it despite her brother's words to warm some meat for them, and she hands fruits and nuts to the vegetarian Avatar. 

Zuko leaves his dao blades with his bag and sits with them around the fire to eat. Although it's not quiet, it still feels tense. Katara and Aang move the pai sho board and its pieces between them so they can continue their game while eating and he gives her instructions as they go along.

She doesn't know the game but beginner's luck is on her side.

"I wasn't actually going to eat the lemur, by the way," Sokka tells Aang while stealing a berry from the lemur's pile.

The young Airbender smiles and pets the lemur, "good, because he'll be staying with us."

"What are you going to name him?" Katara asks.

"Momo."

"That's not a real name," Sokka says through a mouthful of meat.

"Of course it is," Katara says with a hard glare at her brother to keep him from commenting further. "I think it's cute."

"Thanks, Katara!"

Zuko finishes eating first and leaves with the vague excuse of taking a walk. He's surprised that Sokka doesn't put up some kind of fuss, but the boy's much too focused on his food to even look up as he stands.

He's never been one to make plans. He doesn't have any intentions. Not really.

He returns to the decimated rooms turned graveyard.

Broken bones, burnt clothes, dead Air Nomads strewn around carelessly. His own people left behind right along with them.

The level of disrespect makes his blood boil and it's easier to focus on that than whatever other emotions this is bringing forth.

An idea forms, which happens when he doesn't try too hard.

He wanders further into the temple and searches the rooms until he finds something that will work for his purpose. In what was once a communal bedroom there are wooden wardrobe trunks at the foot of the beds. They aren't locked; other than the Sanctuary, there have been no locks anywhere. He goes to the nearest one and wipes off the thick layer of dust before opening the lid. 

It has a few articles of clothing in it and a blanket. None of them are still completely intact after so many years. He carefully takes out the clothing and sets it on the bed but leaves the blanket inside along with a small piece of a shirt that now doubles as a cloth. He carries it outside and makes a second trip to grab another one, once again separating its contents.

Once he has both outside, he gets to work. He places them in front of the remains of Monk Gyatso and lines the insides with the blankets. He grabs the cloth and uses it to pick up the remains. One trunk for the Fire Nation soldiers, the other for the Air Nomads.

There's no smell, luckily, and any tissue has decayed and what remains is pure skeleton. It's still disgusting and he feels like he's asking to be cursed by the spirits, but he has no intention of leaving these people in such a state of unrest.

It's the least he can do to alleviate the guilt he's pretending isn't present.

Between the passing of years and Aang's windy outburst, the remains are not whole. There are some missing parts, but he does what he can.

He starts with his own people as they're nearer. The armour gets tossed over the ledge. Right now they're people, not soldiers, and they're all ending up in the same place.

Sunset is almost upon him when Sokka shows up.

He's caught picking up a skull with a torn up cloth and there's a tense silence when their eyes meet.

"Hello," he says awkwardly. He straightens with the skull in hand.

"Katara wanted me to make sure you didn't fall off the mountain or something," Sokka says. He glances between Zuko and the trunks. "What are you _doing_?"

"Um..." He takes a second to gesture lamely around him before he finds his words. "There's nowhere to bury them around here. I thought this might work for now."

"Oh." Sokka looks around and seems to put the rest of the pieces together without him needing to find a way to say it. "I see."

Sokka walks over to him. He reaches into one of the large pockets on his coat and pulls out a folded pair of gloves that must be his spare. He holds them out to Zuko, "here, these'll work better."

He takes them tentatively. 

"Which one's Fire Nation?" Sokka asks, bending near the pile Zuko is working on and grabbing some parts.

"The one on the left."

He watches Sokka walk past him with an entire arm and gently place it in the appropriate trunk. When he turns back around to make another trip, their eyes lock briefly. Sokka smiles, but it's sad and nothing near what he's seen shared with his sister or the Avatar. 

Zuko puts on the gloves and gets back to work.

They continue in silence.

He has to make a trip for another trunk for the Air Nomads. His mouth is dry and the food is sitting uncomfortably in his stomach. He swallows thickly to bite back nausea. Zuko's never handled corpses before, the worst injury he's ever seen the one on his own face, but that's not what's making him feel ill. These people are here forgotten with no names and no family left to mourn them. Their bones are piled on top of each other in an unmarked box and that's the best he can do for them and it's so _little_.

With two people, it doesn't take too long to finish up but sunset has arrived and there's only so much time until they're bathed in darkness.

The lids are carefully closed over piles of bones and the space around them is finally cleared of remains. Except for Monk Gyatso.

"You don't want to..." Sokka points to the final skeleton.

"I think Aang should decide what he wants to do with... with him."

"That's probably for the best," Sokka agrees quietly.

Zuko sits cross-legged a few feet in front of the trunks. They're not large enough to obstruct his view of the last skeleton, but that's how things generally work out for him. He stares out to his left to watch the sunset, waiting for the moment the sun will be fully out of sight.

"What'cha doin' now?" Sokka asks. He pokes his knee with the tip of his shoe as if he didn't already have Zuko's attention.

He brushes the spot he'd been touched and says, "I'm going to hold Fire Nation death rites."

"Right, because I know exactly what that means."

"You do?" Zuko asks, genuinely curious. He didn't expect the Water Tribe to know anything about Fire Nation rituals.

"No, that was... that was sarcasm, you weirdo. So what's this rite about?"

"My people believe that once we die, our souls stay trapped in our bodies until they can be guided to the Spirit World by Agni's flame. Someone will sit by their bodies from sunset to sunrise with a fire in their hands to act as their guiding light. By morning, their souls have been freed and we cremate the bodies as a final offering to Agni."

"You're planning on sitting out here all night?"

"Yes. Normally it would be a member of the family, but anyone will do."

"What about the Air Nomads?" 

"I don't know their traditions, and I don't think asking Aang is appropriate right now. But I imagine if this actually works, their souls will be freed right along with my peoples'."

"Yeah, I don't know what they do either. Hm..." Sokka taps the top of the nearest trunk in thought. He nods once decisively. He removes his gloves, puts them in his pocket, and starts unwrapping the bandage around his left hand and arm.

Zuko takes off his borrowed gloves and sets them beside him. As the sun fades, he cups his hands and ignites a small golden flame. The moon is nearly full and it illuminates the temple well enough for them to see each other and the space around them.

"In the South Pole, because it's so cold, we can't dig actual graves so what we do is place the body outside the village and build walls around them to keep them safe from wildlife. We'll use stone or ice, depending on the time of year," Sokka says. When the bandage is undone, he wraps it around the handle of the first trunk and ties it off into a bow. He starts on the bandage on his right hand next. "And usually we leave things that belonged to them on the grave. Since these guys don't have anything, they can borrow some of my stuff."

The second bandage is wrapped around a handle on the second trunk.

Sokka eyes the one designated for the Fire Nation soldiers.

Zuko expects him to ignore it, but the boy surprises him.

He releases a little sigh before reaching up and unclasping his necklace. He hangs it over the handle and stands back to admire his handiwork.

"You don't have to..." Zuko protests weakly.

"Is it sacrilegious or something?"

"Well. No."

"Cool," Sokka turns away from the trunks, clearly decided on his decision. "I'll be right back!"

And he's off.

Zuko rolls his eyes with the night sky as his only witness.

He relaxes his muscles from his shoulders down to his feet. He rests his forearms down on his thighs as to not hold the flame up with his arm strength. Being tense would make this a very long night. He closes his eyes and starts meditating.

Which is rudely interrupted some minutes later when Sokka comes clambering back.

He doesn't turn around to watch him approach and startles when something heavy is tossed on top of him.

"Here's your coat. You should put it on or else you'll catch a cold."

Zuko reaches up with one hand to tug the material off his head while holding the fire as far from it as he can.

"What are you _doing_ -" he grumbles. It takes a proper moment to get untangled from the coat with only one hand. Once he's freed himself, he lays it beside him next to the pair of gloves.

"Sorry, sorry," Sokka says completely unapologetically. He drops into a seated position next to Zuko and sets down a three-pronged bronze candelabra. He tugs out the middle candle, holds the wick over Zuko's fire for a moment until it's lit in gold, and puts it back in its place. "There we go. Each candle should last about three hours, so I'll be good until morning."

"Are you staying out here with me?"

"I thought two lights might be better than one. It's your fire, so it should count, right?"

"I don't see why not," Zuko hesitantly agrees. That's the only way non benders can perform the rites, though that in itself happens infrequently.

Sokka copies his sitting position and holds the candelabra out in front of him. Zuko grabs his elbow and guides his arms down until they rest on his knees.

"You'll wear yourself out if you hold it like that," he says.

"Oh. Thanks! Have you done this before?"

"Once."

When he doesn't elaborate, Sokka asks, "Was it for your grandpa? The last update we got from some Earth Kingdom traders was that Azulon had passed and Ozai was the new Fire Lord."

"Oh. No. My father was chosen to do that. I mean, people can hold private vigils if they're not with the bodies themselves, but I didn't. I wasn't particularly close to him, so... I didn't."

"Who was it then?"

He's clearly going to keep ignoring the hint to stop asking and Zuko relents.

"My mother. No one knows what actually happened to her, one day she was just... gone. Father refused to talk about her or search for her. Or do _anything_." It comes out more bitter than he intended. "So we had to assume she was dead. That was two years ago."

"I'm sorry about your mom. But doesn't that seem a little... weird, to you?" Sokka asks tentatively.

Zuko's flame spikes with his sharp exhale. He calms it back down with a slow inhale.

"When the Fire Lord tells you to stop asking about your missing mother, you obey. That's just how it is."

"Right..." Sokka eyes him with an odd expression on his face but doesn't press the matter further. "We lost our mom a few years ago, too. The last raid at the South Pole."

"Was she a soldier?"

"We use the term warrior, not soldier. Since warriors have a moral code." Sokka ignores how Zuko's expression flashes dark. "And no, she wasn't. They were looking for our last Waterbender and she sacrificed herself to protect Katara."

"She sounds very brave."

"She was."

Zuko looks over at Sokka.

He's just as young as Zuko is, younger even. There's still baby fat on his cheeks and he's as small as the Avatar and his little sister. He has the muscle mass of someone who grew up doing manual labour, but there's nothing refined in his movements. He has a loud personality, but he's still only twelve years old. Zuko got a growth spurt this year and years of training with swords and Firebending have made him lean and strong in comparison - the baby fat's been gone for a while.

The mentality that's been forced upon him since his birth tells him that he should view this boy as less-than. Zuko's Crown Prince of the Fire Nation. That's the second most important title in the world, so the Fire Nation people would say. Sokka is some Water Tribe savage child.

Yet they're seated beside each other like equals and Zuko... doesn't mind.

They're both here to protect someone else; their duties are the same.

Sokka talks for a while since he's unable to sit still in silence. He talks about the route he has planned for them, a bit about growing up in the South Pole, and anything that crosses his mind. Zuko chimes in here and there when the occasional pause occurs, but mostly he listens.

It's not long before his words start to come slower and the pauses draw longer. The yawns start coming. There's a certain discipline required to sit in the same spot for a full night that Sokka doesn't have. Even in the Fire Nation it generally falls on Firebenders before non-bending adults to complete the overnight vigil due to their training.

"You can lay down if you want," Zuko suggests when Sokka's head starts drooping dangerously close to the lit candle. "As long as your fire is going, how you're seated doesn't matter. This is just what's easiest for Firebenders."

The Fire Sages would probably say differently, but Zuko will give him a pass.

Unlike Zuko, Sokka isn't too stubborn to admit defeat.

"Well, if the prince says it's okay..." Sokka teases tiredly. He moves the candelabra forward and drops right onto his face. His legs stretch out from beneath him and he lays like that for a minute. Once he finds the energy, he turns on the spot to flop on his back. "In the South Pole, we believe that sleep is important."

Zuko shakes his head at the comment and bites back a smile.

"Just so you know, I still don't like you. I'm only out here for the Air Nomads."

"That's fair. I don't like you either."

Sokka manages to chat for another half hour before he crashes. It's a good effort.

His meditation skills are put to the test between Sokka snoring ridiculously loudly a foot to his right (he should move to put him at his left where his hearing is worse, but he can't be bothered to actually do it) and his own whirling thoughts. The flame in his palm is rising and dimming with his uneven breaths and he knows it's going to be a very long night.

Three trunks stand before him. One full of his dead soldiers and the other two with the remains of an entire people. Aang is truly the last Airbender alive and Zuko has known about the death of the Air Nomads since he was little, but... Seeing this giant empty temple puts it in perspective more than a history book ever could.

His focus bounces between two things no matter how hard he tries to return to proper meditation.

Sokka calling this a massacre can't be unseen now that it's been said. How did that _happen_? Why did it happen? Was this retaliation for something the Air Nomads had done? But then why are there so few of his people dead? Why would they not defend themselves? It doesn't make any sense with anything he's been taught his entire life.

When he tries to put those thoughts to rest, a second creeps in even louder.

" _Sokka and I, we're your family now!_ "

He shakes his head to push out the words but they stay stubbornly locked in place.

Zuko is the outsider. He's okay with that; that's how it's _supposed_ to be. He is not the Avatar's friend. He is not Katara or Sokka's friend. He doesn't want to be their friend, let alone their 'family'. 

No matter how many times he tells himself that, the words still hurt.

Not so much for what he isn't. Friend. Family. But more what it means he _is_. Intruder. Outcast. Alone.

Just as it's always been.

A shiver runs through him and he slips into the big furry coat for added warmth. It smells like sea salt and campfire, which always carries a more woodsy scent than a Firebender's flame. It's the opposite of home. Azula and his father are probably sleeping right now without a care in the world. Uncle's on some ship with men who'd be in jail if they would only get caught in one of their many criminal activities. 

Everything is so wrong-footed. How'd he end up here?

After three hours, he lights the next candle on the candelabra.

**OoOoO**

Across the globe, Avatar statues erected in temples light up with a soft blue sheen for only a few heartbeats.

The Earth Temple has been long abandoned in a town that no longer has a name after it's been ravaged by war and made uninhabitable. There are two Water Temples - one in each pole. They were built at the center of the land, sitting on exact opposite sides of the world from each other. The Water Tribes have mainly chosen to live on the coast rather than inland nearer to their temples. The entire Southern Tribe lives together in their small village. In the north, they may use the temple for the occasional ceremony, but on an average day such as this one, only a few that embrace the nomadic lifestyle are outside the capital city.

A young girl chasing after her beloved polar bear-dog stills in the snow. The temple is far in the distance, but even in the middle of the day she can see the shine from the upmost stained-glass windows. She gapes at the colourful display. Even her pet comes to a stop and returns to her side.

" _Woooah_..."

Once the light disappears, she runs home to tell her parents. They call it a trick of the light. The other members of their small community call her 'imaginative'. She pouts and shouts but none of them have any time to consider the possibility of the lights being real. 

Much further south, the Fire Nation has one Fire Temple nestled in the middle of Crescent Island and is home to five Fire Sages. 

Fire Sage Tui writes a letter addressed to the Fire Lord stamped with their official seal.

_The Avatar has returned._

Fire Sage Shyu takes the letter and heads for the hawk roost while two of the other Sages stand a few feet behind to watch with trepidation. Temple life might be boring, but the Avatar's return can only signal bad news for all of them. He has his back turned to them and purposely shields his hands as casually as he can. He gives his favourite messenger hawk a dead cricket as a treat and in the same movement slips the letter into his sleeve and changes it with another.

He puts it in the letter holder and sends her off. His fellow Fire Sages leave while gossiping and he lets the ashes of their warning fly off into the gentle breeze.

_All is well._

Stamped with their official seal, it's the same letter they send every month only a couple of days early.

**OoOoO**

When dawn hits, Zuko sets the Fire Nation's wooden trunk on fire to cremate their remains as per their traditions.

Aang isn't ready to make any decisions yet as for what to do with the two trunks holding what's left of his people, or Monk Gyatso's remains. Those are left where they've sat for the last century.

As Zuko predicted, Aang's mood is restored by morning despite the heavy air that rests in the Southern Air Temple.

He feels sick when he's thanked by the last Airbender for performing death rites for both their people. He doesn't think too much about that feeling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed!
> 
> End of Episode 3. Any idea where we're headed next? I would really appreciate if you took the time to leave a brief comment, I haven't gotten too much feedback so I'm going off assuming that everyone reading is enjoying it so far!
> 
> * I did some research on various Inuit death rites, and what was most common is what I mentioned here. Something to add that I thought was interesting that I didn't incorporate - you can actually remove something from the grave at any time, so long as you put something of yours in its place. 
> 
> ** Nothing in the show or that I researched indicated that Sokka's necklace had any specific meaning, so I thought he wouldn't mind leaving it behind as a way to honour the Air Nomads. (My guess is that he got upset that Katara got a necklace so Hakoda gave him one of his own :P )
> 
> *** Where Katara and Aang are both willing to give Zuko the benefit of the doubt (as per canon), Sokka is going to be harder to win over. We know Sokka is a one track minded kind of kid and in this case, his dad told him to get Katara to the NWT and that's his only objective. He's, for now, seeing Zuko as an obstacle to that goal simply because he's Fire Nation (and the prince at that). I adore Sokka, but his obsessive brain isn't being swayed quite yet!


	11. The Warriors of Kyoshi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kyoshi Island - insert our favourite Warriors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Kyoshi Island. 
> 
> I love Suki and the Warriors too much and I've written too much lol

"Aang, for the last time, just tell us what you're looking for!" Zuko snaps, "We don't have _time_ to be flying all over the place looking for your mysterious 'surprise'."

"But you'll like it; I promise!"

Zuko's entire body is practically pulsing with annoyance. His inner fire is getting to an unpleasant boiling level. This is day three of flying in circles and he is getting really close to tossing the kid overboard and calling it a day.

"I know plenty about the Earth Kingdom, maybe I could help if you told me _anything at all_."

"I don't remember the name of the island, but they had an Avatar statue. And it's close to water!"

"If it's an _island_ -" he cuts himself off and lets out a long billow of steam.

Katara doesn't look up from where she's seated opposite him on one side of the saddle sewing up a hole in her brother's pants. At the far back, Sokka is sitting pants-less and glowering out at the sea. He's as miserable as Zuko is but is trying to seem more mature by letting him do all the yelling. If he had any of their support maybe they would get somewhere, but they're perfectly content to waste his time.

"Anything else? Which Avatar? Plenty of villages have Avatar statues."

"Um. It was a really big statue."

As they always are, Zuko doesn't say.

"Oh! She had a fancy headpiece!" Aang turns in his seat to face them and uses his hands to recreate the headpiece. He forms an almost rectangle shape with his fingers and dangles his thumbs down by his eyes.

It takes a second, but a very old lesson from when he was a child comes to mind. He drops his face into his hands. Sokka pokes his shin with his boot simply to annoy him further.

"Aang," he says slowly. Carefully. Don't set the Avatar on fire. "Is it possible that the island that has a giant statue of Avatar Kyoshi, is perhaps... Kyoshi Island? The island we flew past an _hour_ ago?"

Sokka's boot retreats and he turns his sour expression onto Aang.

"Huh. That makes sense." Aang holds up the map, "where's that?"

"South-east," Zuko mumbles into his hands.

"You heard him, Appa. South-east!" He tugs on the reins and they start flying in nearly the opposite direction they were currently going. Once he's redirected, Aang turns back around, and his attention shifts to Katara, as it often does.

Zuko is perfectly happy to sit in frustrated silence while he tries to show her an Airbending trick. He has no idea how that turns into Sokka putting his own foot in his mouth, metaphorically.

"Girls are better at fixing pants than guys, and guys are better at hunting and fighting and stuff like that. It's the natural order of things."

He leans back to avoid getting hit by the pants she throws in Sokka's face.

"Done!" she says cheerfully.

Sokka puts his hand through the still open hole and his eyes widen in panic.

"Azula would have set you on fire for that kind of comment," he says though Sokka doesn't seem to hear it as he's too preoccupied with trying to fix his own mess. Any of the women soldiers in the Fire Nation army would have lit him on fire for that one, not only Azula. It would have been well deserved. 

"Wait, I was just joking! Katara, please, I can't wear these!"

"Don't worry, where we're going you won't need pants!" Aang says excitedly.

"There are people on the island, you're going to need pants," Zuko adds quickly.

Katara takes the pants back with a huff and finishes sewing up the hole.

"Do we know what to expect from this Kyoshi Island? It's Earth Kingdom, right?" she asks.

"Yes. They've stayed out of the war so far and it's a fairly small island. That's all I know about it; they're the least of our concerns as it is," Zuko says.

"So you plan on murdering them after you finish murdering everyone else."

Zuko shoots Sokka a fiery look. He doesn't get a chance to respond.

"Here we go!" Aang tugs on the reins and starts their descent.

They land on a beach. It's smaller than the one on Ember Island, but the sand is pale and the ocean is clear and it's a beautiful space. At the end of the beach is a forest that ends to the left and right at rock walls that jut all the way forward into the water and curl inwards to form a semi-circle. It'd be a nice place to make camp if it wasn't only midday.

They all climb off Appa and the bison wanders off likely in search of something to eat.

"Can we make this quick? We can get further north before we need to find a place to spend the night," Zuko says.

"Look!" Aang shouts, completely ignoring Zuko's question.

Out in the ocean, an elephant koi jumps out of the water and splashes back in. Several more follow suit.

"That's why we're here!" Aang starts to remove his outer layers. "Elephant koi, and I'm gonna ride it. Katara, you've got to watch me!"

Zuko is an animal lover. This is a fact that most people know about him to some degree. Although his father called it a 'soft' trait, it was one part of him he didn't try very hard to hide. No one else could calm a komodo rhino like he could. No one. He knows a lot about animals. Elephant koi? He knows all about them. They're only found in two parts of the world; one near the Southern Air Temple, the other very far from it.

If Aang had told him what they were looking for, they could have been here three days ago.

He is _livid_.

Aang, in only his underclothes, runs into the water. Momo jumps off his shoulder before he dives in and lands on Zuko's to watch the spectacle.

Okay. Fine. It does look kind of fun. The elephant koi are big enough that the additional weight won't hurt them, Zuko judges, even if riding them had never been mentioned in any of his books. Katara cheers him on as an elephant koi jumps in and out of the water with a soaked Airbender on its bank. Sokka, standing between his sister and Zuko, looks unimpressed.

"He looks pretty good out there," Katara says. "You should join him. But don't let them bite off any of your toes!" she adds, miming a biting motion with her hand right in her brother's face.

He slaps her hand away, "that was once! And I still have all of my toes, no thanks to you. Anyway, the fish is doing all the work."

Zuko's a little surprised by Sokka's attitude, truthfully. Even Momo is chittering with amusement. In turn, he refuses to show his own interest in the proceedings. Because... if Sokka thinks it's stupid, he should too. Right? If it's too immature for Sokka, then it's definitely too immature for Zuko. There will be no riding the elephant koi.

He misses the komodo rhino's from home. The calves are raised and trained in Caldera for the army and he's always found any possible excuse to visit them. He also misses his mother's turtleduck pond. And the messenger hawks. And the palace cat. And the platypus-bear eggs that are due to hatch in a couple of weeks. 

Stupid Aang. Wasting three days of their lives over Zuko's literal best field of study. (His _only_ good field of study, Azula would say). He can't remember being this annoyed in his life.

Out of the corner of his good eye, he sees Appa stuff a full bush into his mouth.

"Appa! Don't eat that!" He wanders off to protect the poor shrubbery from the hungry bison.

Appa grunts while biting down even harder. Zuko stops by his mouth and pets his nose. The bush is still rooted and Appa is making a valiant effort to pull the full thing out of the ground. A few spots painted blue tell him this must have had berries on it.

"Come on, leave it be, Appa. We'll get you some proper food soon. There should be some tall grass around here and maybe we can get you some hay. If you're good, I'll take some time to pick these berries for you."

Appa's mouth opens and the bush drops back into place. It's damp and a lot more naked than it was before. Most of the berries and leaves have been chewed off the stems.

"Good boy," Zuko says.

He finally tunes into what's going on behind him and the mood's quickly shifted. Sokka shouts, "there's something in the water!"

He turns to see both Katara and Sokka gesturing wildly for Aang to come back to shore. He's also just in time to see something poke out of the water and tug a jumping elephant koi right out of the air and back underwater. Luckily it's not the one Aang's currently riding.

"Get out of the water!" 

"Get back here!"

Aang's too far out to hear them and seems to take their waving for encouragement. His arms go up into the air and he whoops and hollers with joy. That lasts a second until the elephant koi he's riding is pulled out from beneath him. He goes flying forward and uses his Airbending to keep himself from plummeting down into the water. A gust of air launches him forward and he runs across the top of the water to the shore, a big shadow following right below the surface.

Oh right. That thing.

It's true that Kyoshi Island keeping quiet during the war makes them less of a target for the Fire Nation army, along with their willingness to trade, but it's mostly their little protector that has kept them away.

The mighty Unagi - one of three known giant sea serpents. The other two are at the Serpent's Pass and Phuli Coast. With a length of twenty-three feet, sixteen pairs of interlocking teeth, and specialized glands that allow it to launch pressurized streams of water; it's a formidable foe they haven't bothered with.

Aang reaches the beach, but he's going too quick to slow down. He smacks right into Sokka, launching them both back against a tree several meters away. 

Zuko and Katara flinch. The two boys fall to the grass and there's an indent in the bark from Sokka's head. Zuko's not going to tell them he forgot about Unagi.

Katara jogs over and leans over her brother. He blinks up at her dazedly.

"What was that thing?" she asks.

"I have no idea. And I don't want to stick around to find out," he answers while rubbing the back of his head. There will be a sizeable bump soon.

She helps each of them up to their wobbly feet. Aang grabs his clothes and tugs them on. His run across the beach dried him quite nicely.

"Can we get going now?" Zuko asks. He reluctantly leaves Appa's side to join them.

"I say we should hit the road. Enough giant water snake business for one day." For once he and Sokka are in agreement.

Only that would be asking too much, it seems.

He hears the low snap of a tree branch.

He looks up as five women jump down from the trees. They land gracefully around them with a certain speed and precision that shows years of formal training. Zuko lifts his hands in his familiar stance, hands warming to prepare to strike. One tugs Sokka back and trips him and another just as quickly unbalances Katara and pulls the hood of her parka over her eyes.

Their movements are all quick and coordinated.

Zuko ducks low and deflects the hands aiming for him. He spins around her and kicks out at the back of her knee, toppling her forward. Another comes for him and he dodges. His attention is divided between dodging and reminding himself not to Firebend. His hands are getting uncomfortably warm.

Aang is grabbed by the collar. Momo flies off Zuko's shoulder with a screech and gets caught in some sort of bag.

They're all down and out too quickly to be of any use to him.

Think, Zuko, think. Kyoshi Island. Kyoshi Warriors. The island's all-women army. He could fight off some, but not all of them. They seem about his age but they outnumber him five to one. He wouldn't win without his Firebending, at the very least. They're Earth Kingdom and outing himself is certainly the worst thing to do right now. He's heard nothing particularly malicious or cruel about these people.

He surrenders.

His uncle would be proud that he's, for once, set his own pride aside to follow the smart path.

He lets the next strike land and it knocks him down to his knees. He sits still as they bind his hands with rope and cover his eyes with a thick blindfold. He says nothing as he's dragged away with the other three.

He counts his steps. He memorizes the twists and turns that he's fairly sure are just them walking around trees.

A final rope ties them to some sort of pole, maybe a tree. Worse comes to worst he could burn through his bindings. Appa is probably still in the forest. They could make a run for it if need be.

"You four have some explaining to do," a man says. Not one of the warriors, obviously.

"Yeah! And if you don't answer all of our questions, we're throwing you back in the water with Unagi," a young girl pipes up next. He hopes that's not the one he kicked in the knee. 

"Show yourselves, cowards!" Sokka shouts from Zuko's left.

He might be on his bad side, but he's loud enough that even Zuko can hear him.

He's lucky the bindings keep Zuko from hitting him; not provoking the captors is something along the lines of rule two of captivity. (The first rule being don't get captured).

It does get their blindfolds taken off.

That will at least help him form an escape route. He glances around and takes in their surroundings.

The man in the group is older, hair, bushy mustache, and beard a full grey. He's dressed in thick blue clothing with some white fur wrapped around his shoulders. The five Kyoshi warriors stand around him in their green robes, black armour, and golden headpiece to honour the late Avatar Kyoshi herself. Several fans are tucked into their belts and he knows those things are sharp enough to slice right through someone's throat in one swipe.

They're in what must be the town square. Not many villagers are mulling about, but there are houses all around them and it likely won't be long before they bring out an audience. The forest is to his right; he can spot the tree tops behind some taller buildings.

He has Aang to his right, Sokka's to his left, and Katara is on Sokka's other side. Momo's at their feet with his head poking out of a bag. At least they're all together.

"Who are you? Where are the men who ambushed us?" Sokka asks.

Zuko's head drops back against the wooden pole.

One of the warriors approaches, fist raised angrily, "there were no men. We ambushed you. Now tell us, who are you and what are you doing here?"

"Wait a second," Sokka's tone gets mocking. At this point, Zuko wouldn't mind seeing him get beat up by the Kyoshi Warriors. "There's no way a bunch of girls took us down."

She steps right into Sokka's space and grabs his collar tight enough to cut off his airflow. "A bunch of girls, huh? Unagi is going to eat well tonight." Even with all the makeup, her snarl is plainly visible.

"No, don't hurt him!" Katara leans forward. She's furthest to the side and strains to be seen. "He didn't mean it! My brother is just an idiot sometimes."

"We've been trying to train the misogyny out of him, but we haven't found the right treats to promote good behaviour yet," Zuko comments snidely. 

Sokka stomps on his foot and shoots him a glare that's a lot less impactful with his face turning blue.

The warrior drops him and crosses her arms.

"It's my fault," Aang cuts in. "I'm sorry we came here. I wanted to ride the elephant koi."

"How do we know you're not Fire Nation spies?" the old man asks suspiciously. "Kyoshi has stayed out of the war so far and we plan to keep it that way!"

"Um... Oh, I know Kyoshi!" Aang says brightly.

"Ha! How could you possibly know her?" The man's eyes go up and they all follow his gaze. From their vantage point, they can't get a proper look, but they are definitely at the base of a giant statue. Likely the one of Kyoshi Aang had mentioned earlier. "Avatar Kyoshi was born here over four hundred years ago. She's been dead for centuries."

_Don't say it, Aang. Don't say it._

Zuko mantras to himself, but he knows it's a lost cause. He'll have to handle this himself.

"Obviously he meant he knows _of_ her. We all do," he says, cutting right into Aang's response. Now that he has their attention, he takes a deep breath and goes in for the propriety strike. "You asked who we are, well I'll have you know that you're currently treating the son and daughter of the great Chief of the Southern Water Tribe like criminals. If he knew how you were treating his children, he'd be furious! However," he says tersely when the old man's expression turns slightly sheepish. "I'm sure all will be forgiven if we could perhaps discuss the finer details of our travels over a private cup of tea?"

The old man, who Zuko is hoping is the village leader, shares a look with the young Kyoshi Warrior by his side. Her eyes are squinting in suspicion, but there is a hint of hesitation in her stance. They might have doubts about Aang and Zuko, but Katara and Soka are obviously Water Tribe with their clothes, accessories, and even the way they keep their hair. If the man is at all familiar with the Water Tribe, he'll have to see the truth there.

"Well? Keeping us tied here like we're your enemy is spectacularly rude," he tacks on to push him to a decision.

He's trying to channel his inner-Azula. He'd feel more inspired if he were in red.

"Do they have any weapons on them?" he asks the warrior.

She shakes her head, "just this thing." She points at the boomerang she'd tucked into the very back of her belt.

"Boomerang!" Sokka cries out sadly.

"I suppose there's no harm in a spot of tea," he says. "Suki, go find Ema and have her join us. We'll be in my office."

"Are you sure, sir?" 

"Yes, go on."

She nods once and runs off. 

He turns to another warrior, "Yoshie, please untie them. All of you follow me."

It's not as polite as Zuko feels is warranted in this situation. Anything less than groveling would be an insult if this were done to Azula. Well. She wouldn't have been caught and certainly wouldn't have surrendered either.

He'll leave it. The insult is more directed toward Sokka and Katara anyway.

The rope falls to their feet, Momo is freed from the bag, and they're escorted to the man's office. The town is built with one central road running right through the village and curving around the statue. It ends at a larger building that they're lead into. It's a community center with long rows of chairs and a pedestal at the front. He veers them off to the right into a small room behind a sliding door.

The Kyoshi Warriors surround them the entire way and there's no opening to speak to each other. 

Doesn't stop the other three from shooting him weird looks.

The room is just big enough to fit all of them. The far wall is lined with shelves of old books and scrolls and in the center is a low table surrounded by cushions. He grabs a couple of extra from a cupboard beneath the shelving and they all take a seat around the table. He leaves an empty space to his right. 

The warriors stand at attention against the walls except for one who wanders off to go prepare their tea. Zuko knows there's no way to get them out of the room and this is as private as it's going to get.

"We'll wait for Ema and the tea before we discuss anything further. But I'll introduce myself. My name is Oyaji, I'm the village leader here on Kyoshi Island. These lovely ladies are our esteemed Kyoshi Warriors."

"I've heard of them. They're as formidable in person as the stories say," Zuko says. Compliments always work to sweeten a conversation.

The man smiles proudly.

The door's opened quietly. The kids are facing away from it and they all glance over their shoulders to see the newcomer. Their ensuing staring is definitely rude, but Zuko can't make himself stop.

It must be the mysterious Ema, as the warrior named Suki is right at her heels. She ducks her head to get through the doorway in a practiced move; she's probably the tallest and most built person he's ever seen in his life. Her arms are as thick as tree trunks and she could probably bend steel with her hands alone. It doesn't take the clothing to know she's a Kyoshi Warrior, but she's dressed in the same warrior outfit as the girls, only without the makeup and headpiece.

With her face clear of the white and red paint he can see that she's an older woman; she has wrinkles around her eyes and mouth and a couple of faded scars. Her hair's grown out and tied into a braid dangling over her shoulder and ending near her waist. Up to her shoulders it's a faded red and from there to the roots it turns white. He's curious, mostly, by the ring and middle finger on her left hand missing down to the first knuckles.

"And this is Ema, our wonderful Captain!" Oyaji exclaims. He pats the spot beside him to invite her to sit, "We have some guests from the Southern Water Tribe and I thought you might like to be here for our little chat."

Ema walks over to join them and Suki splits off to join her fellow warriors standing at the wall.

"Suki mentioned," she says gruffly. She sits down completely silent despite her impressive size. Zuko hasn't been this awestruck since his mother brought him backstage after going to see their first play together. "The Chief's kids, right?"

She points at Sokka and Katara who quietly nod.

"What are your names?" she asks.

"I'm Sokka," he says. His voice comes out high pitched and he clears it to try and make it normal again. He points to Katara, "and this is my sister Katara."

Her piercing brown gaze slides between Aang and Zuko, "and you two?"

"I'm Aang!"

"I'm... Koda." Zuko hopes the pause isn't obvious. Ema's expression tells him she caught it.

"Aang's a family friend. Koda's our cousin," Sokka tacks on.

Claiming Aang to be Water Tribe would have been far too far fetched. Claiming Zuko as a relative is... barely less far fetched but at least he's in their colours. 

Ema reaches across the table, she's long-limbed enough to do that without needing to lean forward much. She grabs Zuko's chin and moves his face left and right. His breathing stutters and he forces himself not to strike out. He knows his eyes are the giveaway, but there's no helping that.

"Cousin?" she prompts, dropping his face.

"He's adopted," Sokka says.

"Right."

Lying is just like acting. That's what Azula always said when she was trying to teach him to lie to people. Mostly their mother so they could get away with mischief. When he's feeling guilty his face will always give him away, so that motive never panned out, but it has worked for him in other instances.

"You're not the first to question me," he says trying to add a bit of woeful drama into his tone. "We don't know where I came from. Chief Hakoda found me adrift in a basket when I was a baby. It was a very traumatic experience and I'd rather not discuss it further."

That is perhaps the plot to one of his favourite plays, ' _The Abandoned Basket_ ', but he works better when drawing from inspiration.

Oyaji and Ema simply blink at him. Sokka shoots him a strange look but Katara and Aang continue to smile pleasantly. For future lying plans, now he knows who to conspire with and without.

The Kyoshi Warrior that had left to get their tea finally returns with her hands laden with a heavy tray and it shifts the room's focus. She sets it down on the table between them and retreats to the wall.

"May I?" Zuko asks, reaching for the teapot. It's a beautiful set; the form is more traditional with a spherical bottom and curved spout, painted green with curling red and pink flowers reminiscent of fire lilies. Uncle would appreciate the artistry.

"Thank you," Oyaji says.

He slowly starts to pour their tea and continues to speak. Without eye contact, the words come easier, "what I'm going to tell you requires the utmost secrecy. I don't suppose I should worry about your warriors?"

"Of course not," Ema snaps.

"Right. My apologies." He could have said that more genuinely. He grits his teeth and presses on. "As I'm sure you've realized, Aang is not a member of the Southern Water Tribe. As it turns out, he's actually the last Airbender."

He pauses for dramatic effect. Just like Mercet does at the start of Act 3, scene 4 of ' _Mercet's Ballad_ '. The cups are full and he hands them out. He only keeps going when they're all distributed.

"We're not sure how that happened; he must be a descendant from somewhere in his family but we couldn't trace it back. He just started Airbending one day and we knew we couldn't stay at the South Pole. As I'm sure you know, the last Avatar was an Airbender who went missing a century ago. And as you can see, Aang is clearly not a hundred years old. However, the Fire Nation won't care for details. If they know there's an Airbender alive, they'll come for him," he explains.

Oyaji is nodding along to his words.

Lesson two of lying, according to Azula, is to take the truth and twist it to fit the desired narrative. Completely ignoring Aang's Air Nomad background would be difficult, if not impossible. They'd tried to convinced him to change out of the monk's garbs only once. His expression had fallen and he'd poked at his clothes and mumbled about memories and they hadn't pressed it further.

Ema lifts a brow and stares at Aang, "no one's seen an Airbender in a century."

Aang, sensing the challenge or just wanting to have fun, pulls out his marbles and performs the trick he'd been showing Katara earlier. He spins them in a small whirl of air between his hands. His smile spreads wide.

Oyaji's mouth drops open in surprise and the warriors share glances around the room.

"It's imperative that we keep Aang's identity as an Airbender a secret. If word gets to the Fire Nation, they'll come after him. If they know he was ever here, your people could be in a lot of danger and that's the last thing we want." Zuko's words are pointed. Aang's smile drops. Only minutes ago he'd almost given himself away as the Avatar; it's important to get into his head that he needs to be careful. "We're on our way to the Northern Water Tribe. It's the safest place to hide him from the Fire Nation right now. This was just a stop, but we don't want to cause any trouble. We can take our leave."

"Nonsense!" Oyaji exclaims. That would have been too easy. "You're more than welcome to stay and rest for as long as you need. The last Airbender... it would be an honour to host you. Our Kyoshi Warriors won't breathe a word of this to anyone else. My only concern is, and I mean no disrespect, but the tattoos and clothes are very traditional of the Air Nomads. If you stay away from the docks that should keep you from running into any of the Fire Nation ships that come by to trade, but if any of my people connect the dots, they might start chatting and... You know."

"Yeah..." Aang glances down at his clothes and pats his outmost layer as if that would make it less obvious.

"I'm sure a cloak will work," Katara says to compromise.

"I'll have someone send over a change of clothes later in case you change your mind, but a cloak will do for now. Suki, if you will."

She bows and leaves the room to fetch a cloak for Aang.

"We have a couple of empty rooms we use as guest spaces. Although it's been a while since we've had any guests. It'll likely be quite dusty." Oyaji strokes his beard and stares at Sokka, "Actually, I believe the last time people from the Southern Water Tribe came by, Hakoda was just about your age."

"You know our dad?" Sokka asks.

"I only met him the once, but he and that friend of his were a troublesome duo." Sokka and Katara share an amused look. "The Chief, I assume your grandfather, came by for some medical supplies with a small crew. Some twenty-odd years ago."

"I think dad mentioned that. A bad fever broke out through the village. We lost a good number of people because of it."

"I'm sorry to hear that," the leader says.

Zuko stops himself from looking over at Sokka. Sickness spreading like that isn't something that happens in the Fire Nation, at least not in the capital. He's read about it in history books and in ill-fated romance stories, but... Not having access to medicine has never seemed like a real concept to him.

"I'm a bit surprised he isn't with you. Why are you kids traveling all by yourselves?"

"Dad and the other warriors have decided to join the war," Sokka says proudly. "They're going to Chameleon Bay to join up with an Earth Kingdom encampment."

"I wish him well on his journey. The soldiers will be grateful for more men," Oyaji says companionably and swiftly changes the subject. "Is your ship docked at the beach? We should move it before Unagi gets to it."

"We don't have a boat - we got here on flying bison!" Aang says.

"On what now?" Ema asks.

"Flying bison," Aang repeats.

"We stopped at the Southern Air Temple a while back and found one. They were the Air Nomads' companion," Zuko cuts in.

"It's a bison. That flies," Sokka adds helpfully.

"And that thing?" Ema asks and points at Momo sitting in Aang's lap.

"We haven't decided if he's dinner or not."

Katara punches her brother in the shoulder and Momo chitters angrily. All of the Kyoshi Warriors stifle a laugh.

"Okay, okay," Ema says and the room calms back down. "Let's go get your bison and I'll show you where you'll be staying. Come on."

Oyaji and the other Kyoshi Warriors stay behind. They trust that none of them are dumb enough to try and pick a fight with their Captain. Zuko considers that a fair assessment.

Suki meets up with them right outside the building and gives Aang a dark brown cloak to wrap around his shoulders. He sadly lifts the hood over the arrow on his head.

She takes the lead to guide them back to the beach to find Appa. Katara and Aang start chatting with her and Sokka slips to the side with crossed arms and a pout. Zuko falls in behind them, keeping a bit of distance between them as he's been doing for the last three days. The siblings are wary of him and he doesn't like them. The space between them all is always a little too wide for casual; no matter if it's placing his bedroll on the other side of the fire or keeping to his corner of Appa's saddle.

Ema keeps in step with him. It makes his skin crawl. Every time he's met her gaze her eyes have been intense and piercing. She's much more perceptive than their island leader.

Somewhere past the houses where the dirt starts turning to sand, she bends closer to his ear and whispers, "the theatre on Kanoya Island did a nice retelling of ' _The Abandoned Basket_ ' a few years ago. I think you would have liked it."

She pats him on the back hard enough that a less balanced person would have fallen over. Her long strides get her to Suki's side in three steps, leaving Zuko behind the entire group.

His blood runs cold. His fingertips and toes are numb with fear and he swallows thickly to clear the dryness in his mouth. It takes a burning in his chest to remind him he needs to breathe.

Running would only make him look guilty, but he considers it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TheatreNerd!Zuko lives in my brain rent-free.
> 
> Is Ema inspired by Brienne of Tarth? Yes. Do I love her? Yes. Do I have regrets? None.
> 
> The idea of a 12 y.o Suki leading the Kyoshi Warriors didn't sit with me. Not because she isn't amazing, but seriously. There has to be at least one female adult on this island. So I made one that I hope you will find awesome enough to be the person who trained Suki to be her badass self in canon-verse. 
> 
> *OC's - from a few searches, Suki and Oyaji's names appear to have Japanese roots, so I found Japanese names for Kyoshi Islanders. Fire Nation seems to stem from Chinese names and I'll stay in touch with that. Water Tribe is Inuit names, but if you know of the difference between SWT and NWT let me know as I've just been searching broadly for names. I'll search up Earth Kingdom areas more separately when I need OCs (Omashu vs. Ba Sing Se, etc.)


	12. Kyoshi Island

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They hang out on Kyoshi Island for a while. Zuko is stressed. That's about all this is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the lovely feedback on the last chapter! I don't want to be that person begging for comments, but it really helps to motivate a writer and the kind feedback was exactly what I needed <3
> 
> The Kyoshi Island saga is long because I love Suki too much. Whoops. It's like - how do I make the Gaang leave Suki? I don't want to leave Suki :'( but we'll get there in due time.
> 
> Enjoy!

Appa is bigger than Ema expects and they decide after a bit of deliberation to leave him at the beach. It works in their favour, in the end. They're better off keeping him as far from the docks as possible and the beach has better access to food. Aang has to coax another bush out of his mouth, but there's a good supply of leaves and grass for him to eat when he turns his attention away from berries. They gather their belongings and remove the saddle. He instantly flips onto his back and falls asleep.

Their next stop is the guest home they're being lent. It's a couple of houses down from the community center and is mostly identical to all the others around it. It's one story and open concept in the way most Earth Kingdom homes are with no walls to separate the kitchen and sitting space.

Ema and Suki offer to send over someone to give them a tour of the town and they happily take them up on it. Suki also promises to come back in a few minutes with some clothes for Aang that he softly thanks her for.

They take their leave so they can get settled in the time it takes for their tour guide to arrive.

The house has two bedrooms hidden away behind sliding doors. The boys take one and Katara takes the other. Sokka would normally share with his sister, but he doesn't trust Zuko alone with Aang, and obviously he doesn't want either Zuko or Aang sharing with Katara, so that's the arrangements he's decided upon and none of them bother to argue about it.

The whole place has gathered two decades worth of dust, as Oyaji had presumed, and Aang sweeps air around the rooms and tosses most of it out of a window. The grass outside turns grey and clumpy, but it helps. They open all the windows so the rest can air itself out and they dump all their things in their respective rooms.

"Zu - I mean, _Koda_ can sleep against the wall and I'll sleep in the middle," Sokka says. He drops his bedroll in the center of the room. "I can't believe you named yourself after our dad. That's going to make this weird. Weird- _er_."

"It was the first thing I thought of!" Zuko snaps back. "I was put on the spot."

"You're lucky it's normal for kids to be named after relatives in the Water Tribe or else Oyaji might have thought something was off."

Yeah. _Lucky_. He doesn't tell them about Ema's comment. She hasn't said anything since; he's fairly confident he's not in any immediate danger.

Their things are piled in corners in an organized mess and they plan to get a bit more settled once they return from their tour. Everything is put aside except neither Zuko nor Sokka are willing to part with their weapons, much to Katara's annoyance.

"We are here as guests, you can't walk around looking like - like... violent... _cavemen_!"

"If those girls get to have their fans, then I get to keep boomerang," Sokka defends. 

Katara slaps her hand against her forehead in exaggerated frustration but doesn't press the matter further. She does continue to glare at her brother until the next argument shifts all their focus.

Suki shortly returns with the spare set of clothes for Aang. It's just a shirt, pants, and a hat with a pompom at the top. She's purposely gone with cute, getting a good read on his tastes simply by the marble trick, and it's an effort to make the transition easier. She hands it to him with a smile.

"Here you go! I didn't know your shoe size, but I figured what you have will be fine. I've got to get to training so I won't be able to join you for the tour, but feel free to pop into the training grounds for a visit! I'll see you guys around!"

She shoots a final glare at Sokka on her way out. Zuko still doesn't know if she's the one he kicked earlier, but it doesn't even matter as Sokka quite quickly made himself public enemy number one on Kyoshi Island. Deservedly, he'd say.

Aang holds the clothes to his chest and stares at the dark shades of blue. He pokes the white and fluffy pompom. He doesn't move to go change.

"Aang," Katara says. She places her hand on his shoulder and her expression is sympathetic. "I know this must be hard, but..."

"It's all I have left. Me, and Appa, and Momo. And this." He grabs the material of his shirt. His words are soft and sad. "That's all that's left."

"I understand," she says.

The way she says it makes Zuko believe that she actually means it and it's not just a platitude. She _is_ the last Waterbender of the Southern Water Tribe and raised without a single person to help her with these powers. She would be in the best position to empathize. Zuko... just. Can't.

"Aang, it's just clothes. I hate wearing this," he tugs at his own blue shirt, "but it's a necessity."

"I don't know how to explain it, Zuko. The entire Air Nomad culture rests on me and I can't pretend it doesn't exist because others feel I should hide. It doesn't feel right to me."

"You should want to hide, Aang! Your life is actively in danger. How are you not understanding that?"

"I do understand," Aang defends. His voice is perfectly calm in the face of Zuko's irritation. "But I'm not afraid and I'm not ashamed of being an Airbender."

"It has nothing to do with shame, Aang. It's about not being an idiot!" he snaps. Aang's expression saddens, but Zuko's undeterred, "letting people find out you're an Airbender is selfish. You have no idea what we're all risking by being out here with you! We're here to make sure you don't get yourself killed, but you seem perfectly fine throwing your life, and ours, away over something stupid and trivial. You don't care about what happens to me? Fine. I get it. I'm the enemy. But the least you can do is think about Katara and Sokka. They're not fighters."

"Excuse me-"

"Shut up, Sokka. You have no formal training; the palace cat could beat you in a fight!" His breath comes out hot. None of the lights had been turned on, being midday and the windows are big enough to let in plenty of sunshine, but they all go up in gold as his temper sparks. "Aang, you might know how to Airbend and you might be able to use that defensively in a fight, but Sokka has a boomerang I'm not convinced he knows how to use and Katara has nothing but terrible Waterbending skills. You're in no position to be putting their lives at risk by practically throwing yourself onto the nearest Fire Nation ship."

"I'm not asking any of you to fight for me," Aang says. He's still calm. Zuko wants to shoot fire at him, but he's not confident he'd actually dodge it.

A knock on the door stops Zuko from starting another shouting fit.

Sokka opens it with a falsely cheery, "hello!"

An adult man awkwardly waves, "hi. I'm Shinaku. I'm here to give you a tour?"

"Right." Sokka looks back at the other three. "Um. So... we ready?"

Zuko throws his hands in the air, "you guys do whatever you want. I'm going to check on Appa." 

He stalks past them out the door. Sokka has to catch Shinaku as he nearly topples over from Zuko shoving him aside, and he doesn't see the gold flames burn out behind him.

Let them do their thing. It's not like Zuko's entire life hangs in the balance. If Ozai finds out he's here with the Avatar, he'll never be welcomed home. Not that any of them care about that; he's just the enemy. The least Aang can do is have the decency to care about the lives of those he considers his friends.

He wanders back to the beach.

Appa's snoring away in the same spot they'd left him only an hour ago. His paws need some cleaning, but he won't wake him for that. Zuko's too wired to sit around and do nothing. Uncle would tell him to meditate, but that's the last thing he wants to be doing right now. His go-to for letting off steam is Firebending training and that's clearly not an option here.

He takes some time to gather berries as he'd promised the giant bison. He collects a bundle and slips a few into his pockets for Momo. So far he and Aang are the lemur's favourites which stems entirely from feeding him the most. At least the animals like him.

After that's done he draws out his dao blades and begins practicing his modified stances right at the edge of the forest where there's still dirt to stand on.

He's spent years doing things one way, but since losing so much of his vision and hearing he's had to make subtle changes to work around his new impairments. His movements are not as flawless and smooth as they'd once been. He needs to pause every now and then to adjust his footing or his arms.

His uncle's never been a swordsman and he hadn't trusted any of the crew to jab at him with sharp objects, so he's had to make these adjustments off what he's gathered of his own blind spots and from retraining himself in Firebending. However infrequent that's been; it still makes him nervous.

This strange gold fire going off when he doesn't want it to hasn't helped either.

He usually allows practice to occupy his mind entirely, but this time it wanders. As time passes, he starts to feel a little more guilty about his own behaviour. He's always been a shouter. It used to make Azula cry; that was the worst feeling. Aang's a kid, he reminds himself. He has to do better at keeping his temper in check. Even if he's acting like an idiot.

"So you do know how to use those." He stops and turns to see Katara walk out of the forest toward him. She asks, "have you been doing that this whole time?"

He glances up at the sun to get an idea of the time. It's been a good couple of hours. Taking note of the layer of sweat and grime on him, that adds up. 

"Yeah." He puts away his blades and crosses his arms.

"The tour was nice. The docks are at the end of that road in town. Some Fire Nation ships stop there to trade sometimes so we'll need to steer clear of that, but the rest of the island should be safe."

"Okay."

Her hands fall to her hips, "you acted like a complete jerk earlier. You know that, don't you?"

"He was being unreasonable. You and Sokka coddling him isn't getting across how important this is, either."

"Some people might do well with a bit of yelling, like my brother for example. If I never shouted he'd never get anything done. But Aang's more sensitive. Yelling at him, and insulting all of us, isn't going to help."

"I didn't insult you," he protests.

Katara puts a finger to her chin in a mock image of thinking, "let me see. You said I was a terrible Waterbender, you said Sokka was a bad warrior, and you called Aang selfish. Excuse my meager Water Tribe education, but I'm pretty sure those would be insults."

"But it isn't. It's the truth. You don't know how to Waterbend, Sokka couldn't put up any kind of fight against the Kyoshi Warriors, and Aang... I didn't mean it that way. I don't think he's selfish in general, but he was on this matter. If my father finds out I'm here, I'll be disinherited and named a traitor. My future lies on him keeping quiet and I don't feel that's too much to ask."

She releases a soft sigh and her hand falls back to her side.

"Look, I know you didn't mean it the way it came out. That's why I'm even talking to you. I think you and Aang have a difference of opinion here, but if you had spoken to him, if you'd only told him what you'd just told me, he would have been willing to compromise. He's not heartless, Zuko, and he's far from selfish."

"He should have understood from the beginning. None of this is complicated."

"It _is_ complicated. Aang is what's left of his entire people. Those tattoos are a symbol of his history, his clothes are his traditions. Asking him to pretend he's something he isn't... That's not a fair thing to ask someone, even if it seems like the obvious thing to do. I'm sure there's an equivalent in the Fire Nation. Maybe not your clothes, but... Your hair."

Zuko absentmindedly reaches up to touch his phoenix tail.

"You were weird when I offered to tie it for you and you said you don't touch each other's hair. It's special, right? What if me and Sokka decided you had to chop it all off because you look too Fire Nation-y?"

He nearly says, _but that's different_. But it isn't.

Maybe the Air Nomads don't treat honor or loyalty as something to aspire for like Fire Nation citizens do and display via their hairstyles, but their ways likely hold some form of meaning to them. He's heard of multiple war stories where Earth Kingdom soldiers will cut off a captured Fire Nation soldier's topknot out of spite, knowing how it dishonors them. Or how his people would rather be killed than let such a dishonor be forced onto them if not deserved. She has a point. He hates that she has a point.

"Fine, I get it. You've made your point."

She shifts from one foot to the other and then crosses her arms. She eyes him warily, "that's it? I thought you'd be yelling at me by now."

"Do you want me to yell at you?"

"...No."

He huffs out heavily, "I don't completely get it, but I understand the comparison. If it means that much to him, then fine, but we still have to find a way to work around it. He can't give himself away, and that's to keep all of us safe."

"I agree, but you need to be nicer about it. He spent most of his life in a time where there was no war. He didn't grow up having to be afraid; he didn't learn how to survive the way we did. We have to be patient and kind. We'll never know how it feels to be in his position, but the least we can do is make it easier for him."

"I'll leave the patience and kindness to you," he says, "but I'll cut down on the yelling."

"I guess that's enough for now."

"Is that your lecture? Are we done?"

"Shush you! I'll lecture as long as I want!" She points at him in a way that'd be more threatening if she had any skills to back it up. Her hand drops and she shrugs, "but yeah. I'm done. I do suggest you at least apologize when you see him though. He deserves it."

"If I must."

"Yes, you do must. Wait, no." She laughs, "I'm done here. You coming?"

"No, I'll keep training. I'll be back later."

He's already warmed up, no sense stopping now. She leaves and he returns to his training.

It's mostly an excuse to procrastinate. Apologizing is terrible. It's a fancier way to say you're wrong and Zuko hates being wrong. Even if it happens more frequently than he cares to admit. The next in line for Fire Lord shouldn't be listening to a Water Tribe girl, but making Aang sad is almost on the same level as making Azula sad and he can't sit on that guilt forever.

He makes his return a couple more hours later after he's exhausted himself and he's fed Appa the picked berries. They're not nearly enough for the large creature, but he seems pleased none the less.

He prioritizes getting washed up first. It's around dinner time and Katara's in the middle of preparing food while Sokka and Aang have been forced to go around with wet rags to finish cleaning. As dirty as he is, he doesn't bother to stop to say hello and goes right for the washroom. It doesn't take him long and when he exits they're all still where he'd left them except now he's refreshed and ready to... _ugh_. 

"Zuko! How was training? Katara said you were training. Did Appa get enough to eat? Shinaku said someone will bring over some hay tomorrow morning," Aang says with enthusiasm and genuine curiosity as if Zuko hadn't insulted him earlier that day.

"Um. Yeah. Training. And he ate, but he'll be happy with more."

"He's always happy with more," Aang says jokingly.

Sokka's off to the side washing a window and Zuko takes the opening to get closer to Aang who's wiping down the table. He leans against it in his way to make him stop. He can't meet his gaze and he crosses his arms defensively.

"I think I owe you an apology."

"You think?"

"Sokka!"

He ignores the siblings.

"It's okay, Zuko. I'm still trying to understand what all this means, but I do understand that you're putting a lot on the line to help me. You were right; I was being selfish."

"No, that's not..." Zuko pinches the bridge of his nose and takes in a deep breath. It'd be easy to take that as the end of their conversation, but he's already dedicated to his apology. "You weren't being selfish. I shouldn't have said that. If it's important to you, then I need to accept that. We just need to find a compromise."

"I wore the hat today. With the cloak. Do you think that's enough? The hat's nice, I don't mind it."

"That should work. Just mind the Airbending."

"I will, I promise." Aang's earnest. It makes Zuko warm with comfort and he has to suppress a smile.

"Then it's settled."

"I guess that means I'm not getting an apology?" Sokka asks, twirling his dirty rag.

"For once you're right about something," Zuko snarks back.

"Sokka!" Katara calls out although she's not far enough to warrant it, "can you get me bowls? The food's ready."

"Yeah!" He shouts back. He glares at Zuko and motions from his own eyes to Zuko's to show he's watching him, "this isn't over!"

Zuko rolls his eyes and doesn't bother with a response.

Aang is clearly the easily forgiving type and what happened is already out of mind. He says for Katara to hear, "the table's clean!"

"Thanks, Aang."

And that's all there is to it.

It seems too easy, but aside from Sokka's occasional looks, the entire incident is over with. There are no people more loyal than Fire Nation citizens, but there's likely no people as petty, either. No one can hold a grudge the way they do. When he'd accidentally knocked Azula into a chair when she wasn't even two years old she didn't speak to him for a week. She wasn't even injured. He's heard plenty of similar stories from Azula from her school days, from teachers being petty at her correcting them, to fellow students getting upset when she'd upstage them at every opportunity. He considers this a fact about his people and he'd always believed that's just what all people were like.

Aang and Katara are perfectly content to let bygones be bygones and move on. It's strange. He won't complain about it. The last thing he wants is to _grovel_.

Dinner is good; Shinaku got them more groceries for their stay and promised to send them off with supplies. Although Katara doesn't recognize all of the ingredients, she's making do and has successfully made them something good. They tell him a bit more about the town while seated around their borrowed table. There's not much of interest aside from the Kyoshi Warriors on a small trading island like this one.

They quickly become the central part of their visit. By morning, Sokka completely comes around on the idea of the female warriors and embarks on a journey to regain their favour after horribly insulting them. Zuko, as much as he'd like to watch, decides it's best to steer clear of Ema and her all-knowing gaze and stays at the beach with Aang and Katara over the next couple of days.

He tries not to get frustrated about the length of their stay. He tries very hard to find some enjoyment in all of this.

It's not easy. He's proud of his resilience. He hasn't shouted once.

The beach is where they, minus Sokka, spend most of their time. The villagers don't go there often, due to Unagi, and Aang can happily remove the cloak and hat, although he most often ends up in his swimwear. Katara follows suit and practices her Waterbending at the edge of the water with Aang watching adoringly by her side. He tries to mimic her, but she doesn't know enough to teach him and he gets distracted with something or other (seashells, fish, a shiny rock, just about anything).

He even makes them all bracelets in the downtime. More bracelets than they have wrists to wear them. Katara and the Kyoshi Warriors indulge him and wear a few, the tinkling of tiny threaded shells a constant now. Even if he's pretty much exiled to this part of the island, he doesn't complain and finds ways to keep himself entertained. His time is being wasted just as much as Zuko's, but he sees no reason to move on.

If Aang would say they should go, they would. Instead, Zuko has to wait this out.

"I don't know what I'm doing wrong!" Katara shouts and drops her hands. The edge of the water freezes. It melts in seconds in the face of the afternoon sun.

"You almost had it that time!" Aang encourages kindly.

She has one of the Waterbending scrolls spread out in the sand and she's been copying the first form for the last half hour to no avail. Aang is next to it making a flower crown and giving her constant encouragement. She goes back to the scroll and kneels in front of it. She mimics the postures depicted in the drawings, but she already has it all memorized at this point and she learns nothing new.

He's been trying to meditate, but her frustrations are too loud to ignore and this is starting to get painful.

"You can't go straight into forms, Katara," he says, "you need your basics first."

"None of these scrolls have basics, Zuko!" she snaps back.

He opens his eyes and her glare is fierce. He doesn't cower from its intensity. He allows his meditation form to ease and he reaches for the scroll and drags it to him. She makes no objections to his treatment of her prized possession while she's angry enough to happily watch it burn.

"This stuff is too advanced. If you don't know your basics, you're never going to be able to do any of this." He doesn't know much about Waterbending, he'd never seen it in person before Kida, but he recognizes the general flow of the movements. Firebending is more harsh, sharp hits, where Waterbending is softer in nature. But the fundamentals should be about the same.

"How am I supposed to know what the basics are?" She moves from kneeling to sitting and crosses her legs. She rests her elbows on them and then her chin on her hands. Her expression is disheartened.

Zuko carefully rolls the scroll closed and places it in the box near them. Everything in there is too advanced for Katara to be starting with. 

"That's generally the purpose of a teacher. Did Miss Kida tell you anything before we left? Any sort of instructions?"

"I'm sure she would have been a great teacher if she hadn't been in jail," she mutters darkly and his eyes drop to his lap. There's no retort to that. She instantly seems to catch herself and says, "I'm sorry. You're not to blame for that."

He shrugs, "my people are."

"Well, anyway... Miss Kida said her best piece of advice is ' _push and pull_ '. That's it. I don't have a clue what that means. I was too busy with my dad and Aang. I should have asked her more questions."

"I think I can work with that," Zuko says thoughtfully.

After meeting her only five days ago and seeing her Waterbending in pitiful action, he'd dismissed her. 

But he knows, honestly, that Katara is already better than he could have been had he never had a teacher. He would have set everything and himself on fire before learning any form of control. That she can move the water at all is a feat without knowing so much as a basic teaching.

He'd wanted to keep out of this; he was going to let her do her own thing and try to figure it out by herself. But if she plans on sticking around to protect the Avatar, the least he can do is point her in the right direction as best as he can. If she can learn to defend herself, he won't have to worry about her if a fight comes to them. He already has his hands full with Sokka and his stupid boomerang. Even if Suki says he's doing well in their training.

Somehow he'd convinced her and Ema to take him on as a temporary student. Charm is what the books would call it. He can't look at Sokka and see anything remotely charming about him, so he has no idea how he convinced them that he isn't a complete idiot. He insulted the Kyoshi Warriors - he deserves to be fed to Unagi.

"Okay, so..." They'd set up a little fire pit on the beach the previous night when they'd stayed out late and the fall weather had appeared in full force. Sokka had been too busy telling stories and Zuko had, begrudgingly, found himself too immersed along with the others. He tugs out a half-burnt stick and draws in the sand. He doesn't want to see her looking at him like he has any idea what he's actually talking about.

He draws the symbol of the Fire Nation first.

"In Firebending," he glances around but it's only the three of them on the beach. Aang is still making what will become a flower crown but he's turned just enough to give him half his attention, "we have one fundamental basic. There are a lot of basic forms, but there's a principle that we all use from beginners to masters as a way to control our bending. That's our breath. Fire comes from the breath. If a Firebender doesn't have complete breath control, their fire will be uncontrollable and a danger to them and everyone around them."

"So... I should meditate?" she asks doubtfully.

"No, that's not what I mean. I don't think it's transferable like that. But that's the one thing every single Firebender has to master before they can move on to forms. We have an inner flame that we can feel inside ourselves, that's why we can produce our own element unlike the other three. With controlled breaths, we can move the fire from inside of us, outwards. That's where we start."

"I understand what you're saying, but not what I'm meant to do with what you're saying."

"Let's keep going," he says. He draws the Air Nomad symbol next. He's not used to drawing this one and the lines are sloppy and misshapen. "Airbending. This is what I've gathered from watching Aang, so correct me if I'm wrong. From what I've seen, a part of it is going with the flow of the wind around you. Even as a Master Airbender, Aang will always move his arms with the wind and circle back around if he needs to. He never starts his form against it."

Katara frowns and looks at Aang for confirmation.

"It's true," Aang agrees. "I don't think we learn the same way as Firebenders, but if I had to say we had one fundamental lesson, it'd be never to go against the wind. We have to work with nature, not against it. That's why if you cut down a tree, you should always plant a seed in its place."

"I see..." she says thoughtfully.

"I don't know anything about Earthbending so we'll skip that." He draws the Earth Kingdom symbol and moves on to the Water Tribe one. He takes a peek at Katara's necklace to remember what it looks like. It still looks terrible. She swipes the stick from his hand, wipes away his attempt, and draws a much more accurate representation. "Waterbending. I... was hoping I'd have more inspiration by the time I got here," he admits.

"It's still interesting to learn about the other elements," Katara says warmly, "and there's no telling what might help."

"I'm guessing that Miss Kida's words, the 'push and pull' thing, is a base for Waterbending, like breathing is for Firebenders. It doesn't sound like it relates to meditation. Maybe it's an exercise? I'm not... sure..." He's looking right over her shoulder and it clicks. "Actually, I think we're both idiots."

"Hey!" she and Aang both exclaim.

"Come with me," he orders and gestures for her to follow. He stands and walks to the water's edge. She goes with him and Aang stays seated. His flower crown is making progress. Zuko gestures out to the water, "Tui and La, 'The Wives' as we call them in the Fire Nation. The moon and ocean spirits. So... push and pull. Like the waves." He spreads his legs out in his own stance and moves his hands forward and back along with the water at their feet.

"Because Tui and La make the waves. I'm following. If it's that simple..." 

She copies his pose and starts moving her hands in the same way. Her fingers spread out on the push and curl in on the pull. The movement is similar to one he's seen Kida do when lifting water from the ocean by the ship's side and it looks right. Palm goes out, fingers curl in, and then the hand raises and the water follows suit.

He steps back. The tips of his shoes are unpleasantly wet. He could have dressed down like Katara and Aang have, but he hadn't bothered.

The water obeys. Slowly, the tide builds in momentum as she gives it more strength.

She laughs, "it's working!"

"I don't know where to go from here, but at least practicing that should give you a good foundation to work from."

"Spirits, you're right. I'm an idiot."

"No, _we're_ idiots," he corrects. A childhood of terrible Firebending meant he'd spent a lot of time studying it. He has a lot of theoretical knowledge about bending as a whole, it's the practical application that he struggles with. Understanding Waterbending shouldn't have taken him so long.

She startles at his words and her hands drop. The tide starts to return to its normal calm to and fro. She laughs loudly with unbridled amusement. She tucks her thumb into the crease by her left eye to catch a laughter tear.

"What?" he asks hotly and crosses his arms defensively.

"No, nothing's wrong! I just didn't expect to hear you call yourself an idiot. You're always so..." She waves her hands around while she searches for the right word. 

His eyebrow raises.

"... Proud," she settles on. "That's it. You're proud. That's not a bad thing."

"Yeah! It's not a bad thing," Aang agrees.

If Aang ever disagrees with Katara, Zuko's fairly certain Aang would implode from the sheer wrongness of it.

"Sure," he says drily. "Well, whatever. Keep practicing this and when it gets easier maybe then try incorporating some of the forms. I don't know. This is as far as my help goes."

"Thank you, Zuko. I appreciate it." Her smile is kind.

He takes his seat and observes her for a minute. The water moves with the motion of her hands. So long as she's in tune with her element, she'll do fine without a teacher for a little while longer.

Aang holds out his finished flower crown to Zuko, "it's for you!"

Zuko glares until he stops trying to give it to him. Aang pouts, but it's good-natured. He rushes off to hang it on one of Appa's horns.

"Hey, weirdos!" Sokka calls out to them as he clambers over the brush to get to the sandy beach. He has a white stain on his chin where he didn't fully wipe off the warrior makeup and a cut along his bicep from a wayward fan, but he's in good spirits from a good day of training.

"Sokka!" Katara exclaims excitedly, "Look!"

Her hands lift and the water floats unnaturally high into the air at her bidding.

"Go, Katara!" He whoops for his sister even if Zuko can tell a comment about 'magic water' is on the tip of his tongue.

As Sokka gets closer to her, she drops her hands to bring the water back down, but they fall by her hips and slightly too far back and the move sends the water behind her. His legs are encased in a thick coating of ice.

She turns on her heel to see the damage and covers her mouth in shock, "I'm so sorry!" The way her chest is heaving with suppressed laughter breaks the illusion of remorse.

" _Katara_!"

Sokka pulls out his boomerang and starts slamming it down against the ice. Although the weather is warm enough to melt it, it's too thick to do so quickly.

"A little help here?" he hisses angrily.

"I don't know how to undo that," she says with a shrug. "I'm sure it'll melt soon."

Clearly, her brother is uninjured and she refocuses on the ocean.

Zuko stands and that captures Sokka's attention and the glare turns on him. He gestures down to the ice, "a little help here?"

"No, I'm good." He wanders off to grab his dao blades. He leaves Sokka sputtering behind him.

Aang jumps in to help his friend. He presses his hands against the ice to try and melt it faster and Sokka continues to hit it with his boomerang. It doesn't take long to free him, but he makes sure to complain the entire time. As soon as his legs are released though, his mood lifts and he joins Aang in the sand. The flowers are put aside so they can make an elaborate sandcastle that includes talks of a moat.

"Zu - I mean, _Koda_ , you should join us," Aang says.

"I'm training."

"You're always training."

Which isn't inaccurate. He'd spent the morning doing dry katas and had moved on to meditation while the sun was at its highest peak to cool off and give his aching muscles a bit of rest. It's late afternoon and it's time to get back to it, but he's moving on to his sword drills instead. He's not comfortable sitting around doing nothing.

"It's important to maintain your skills. I'm not going to let myself get sloppy."

"Don't you ever do anything for fun?" Sokka asks. He's grabbing the sticks from their extinguished firepit and is placing it around the lump of sand that might be the castle's base. 

"No," he says simply.

Not since his mom was around. Not since Azula loved him.

"Okay... What do you do with your friends? You can't have just gone around trying to stab each other."

"I don't have friends."

"Not that I find that hard to believe, but what about people from school? Surely everyone wanted to hang out with the prince."

"I didn't go to school, Sokka. I had private tutors. Now are you done interrogating me?"

Sokka blinks at him.

"That explains... _everything_."

Zuko turns and starts into another series of drills more aggressively than necessary.

"You can't talk, Sokka. Your only friends are Gran Gran and Bato," Katara teases without turning from her Waterbending.

"Not true!" He denies, "I was friends with Noatak!"

"You can't be friends with your babysitter."

"It wasn't babysitting - we were hanging out."

"Sure."

"Shut up."

Zuko tunes out their squabbling. It's fairly commonplace and he's grown used to it.

They're interrupted when Suki arrives. She smiles a little shyly and waves at them. She'd joined them yesterday too. She's fully intrigued by their presence and the stories they bring from afar. She's out of her warrior uniform and in the blues that the other islanders wear. Her hair's drawn back in a half phoenix tail and her right arm is tinkling with three different friendship bracelets. Two that Aang made, and one from Sokka.

She's much smaller out of the uniform and it's a lot easier to see that, although highly skilled, she's no older than Zuko. All of the Kyoshi Warriors, according to what Suki's told them, are young girls. Only one is older than Suki herself, and then there's their beloved Captain Ema. They had been more in number only a decade ago, with a lot of older women and Suki's own mother, but that changed when a bad storm swept through the area. The nearby Island of Mutsu suffered a lot of damages and since Kyoshi Island had gotten through it mostly unscathed, all of the Warriors, minus Ema, had ventured out with some of their men to help rebuild. Including her father.

They never came back.

Oyaji, afraid of stirring up any trouble with the Fire Nation, refused to ask the trading ships about the situation and wouldn't allow another ship to go out to search for them for fear of losing even more of his people. They'd gathered funds to purchase a messenger hawk to get a message to the Island, but there was no response. 

She's been in her aunt's care ever since, who happens to be the revered Captain Ema herself. Suki's excited to take over the mantel of Captain one day when her aunt retires and her training regiment, somehow stricter than Zuko's own, is proof she'll allow no other option.

"Hey, Suki!" Sokka calls out excitedly and waves back.

"Hey, guys. Mind if I join?"

"The more the merrier. We're building an Air Temple," Aang says.

"Hi, Suki!" Katara says over her shoulder.

"I don't know anything about Waterbending, but it looks like you're doing better already," Suki says brightly.

"Thanks! Koda helped." Katara is, so far, the only one not to have stumbled over his fake name.

Suki stops next to Zuko and watches him for a quiet moment. He doesn't do well with being watched, an unfortunate quality when he was raised with private tutors, and he stumbles in seconds under her intense gaze.

"You're really good. We should spar sometime."

"No, thanks."

He returns to his starting point and goes again while trying to block her out.

"Why not?" she asks.

"I don't want to."

She crosses her arms and glares, "I've been sparring since I was born, Koda. You won't hurt me."

"That's not the point," he mutters. He trips up and starts over.

"But if you're scared, we can use the bamboo sticks we give to new trainees." She's teasing in an effort to goad him.

He knows this. He does.

"I'm not scared!" he snaps and turns to her. He lowers his blades and glares back. Her eyebrow raises in challenge.

"Oh yeah? I think you are."

"I'm not! I just..." He doesn't want to explain himself. He won't let her make him have to explain himself. "It's none of your business."

"Well, if you're not scared, you should join us for training tomorrow. You can spar with the Captain. You won't have to worry about hurting her since you'll never land a hit."

He's being baited. He knows this. He _does_.

" _Fine_. Now go away."

Her smile goes bright at having won.

"Awesome! I look forward to it."

Suki is a terrifying warrior, but out of uniform, she's just another kid. She darts into the sand and joins Sokka and Aang around the castle. Katara continues her exercises for a little while longer, but the call of fun is too loud to ignore and she soon joins them around the 'Temple'.

Zuko continues his drills.

He's surrounded by children and that's starting to feel like it might not be a terrible thing.

It's certainly different.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I make Tui and La sapphic lovers? Yes, I did. (The way I see it is Agni and Tui are brother/sister, and Tui is 'married', or the spirit equivalent, to La).
> 
> Hope you enjoyed!
> 
> *Please remember I'm writing mostly out of Zuko's POV. These are not necessarily my personal views. I don't have a stance on the clothing thing mentioned, but I know people who are more culturally conscious than myself would have one and I completely respect how you feel about it.
> 
> **The thing about Water Tribe kids being named after relatives is based on something I'd read where, in some Inuit traditions, if they dream of a relative saying they're thirsty (if I recall correctly), that they want them to name the child after them. I'm sure there's more information around about it if you want to know more. I thought it was interesting and it worked out that I was able to mention it in this chapter.
> 
> ***There's literally no canon mention (in ATLA) of Zuko knowing literally anyone his own age aside from Azula's friends and sure, it may have been omitted for writing's sake, but my hot take is that he didn't go to school, unlike Azula for reasons to be explored later.
> 
> ****Extra: I read a lot of interesting metas about how people view both Zuko and Sokka as neurodivergent? Zuko possibly being autistic and Sokka likely having ADHD. I am not neurodivergent, but I thought that if that's how so many people view them, I'll try to write them as accurately in that sense as I can. I will certainly get this wrong at some points, but I wanted to be upfront about my intentions and if something doesn't sit right, please let me know!


	13. Training With the Kyoshi Warriors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zuko joins the Kyoshi Warrior's training session.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 13 :)
> 
> Enjoy!

Zuko agreed to this, he knows, but that doesn't mean he has to like it.

Sokka drags him to the Kyoshi Warriors' training hall bright and early the next morning with Zuko's scabbard over his shoulder. Every night since leaving the Southern Water Tribe, Sokka had been the one complaining about having to wake up (no matter how long they let him sleep in), but suddenly he's motivated which is now Zuko's burden. 

He protests the entire walk over, but honour dictates he follows through on his word.

The building is big enough for the twelve warriors to practice side by side with their Captain demonstrating at the front of the room. The walls are lined with various weapons from their iconic fans to spears to shields to wooden practice staffs. Sokka tosses him his swords and wanders off to the dressing room, tucked away in the corner, and Zuko sits on a low bench near the entrance to pout.

The girls are already there and working through their warmups.

Suki grabs his arm and pulls him to the front to stand beside her because, "if you're going to spar, you need to stretch first."

This is the only thing he doesn't object to.

Master Piandao has told him enough horror stories about torn ligaments to get the importance of stretching through his stubborn skull.

Sokka joins them in a few minutes in full Warrior gear looking far too pleased with himself. Maybe because he got Zuko here, or maybe that grin is a dare to poke fun at his dress. Zuko might be an idiot, but he isn't _stupid_.

Stretching complete, Zuko returns to his bench and watches as training starts.

Dual blades are his thing and the dao is his favourite type of blade. Master Piandao had shown him dozens of different weapons but he, in all his six-year-old stubbornness, had refused to learn anything but the dual blades which are known for being more complex than most other types. A few months down the line he'd nearly mastered them and he'd relented just enough to get a bit of practice in with several other weapons. Should he not have his dual blades, Master Piandao had pressed that it would be good to have some training with anything he could get his hands on.

He, from then and up to now, has found anything else boring. He loves the dagger his uncle had gifted him, but he'd never want to actually use it. And swords are basic. And easy. Dual blades are complex and efficient and most people don't know how to fight against them. It makes him feel competent in a way his Firebending never will.

Fans are... interesting. That's what he'll give them. Mixed with Airbending, or even Firebending, it could make for a fascinating battle to watch.

He can't figure out why Kyoshi, who'd been born in the Earth Kingdom, had chosen a weapon seemingly best designed for Airbenders as her trademark, but he begrudgingly admits to himself that it does have a certain aesthetic appeal to it.

The way the Warriors fight in the style of their favoured Avatar is intense and elegant and although Zuko can't see the edge of those fans himself, he knows they're sharp enough to cut through just about anything. All of the girls are quite talented, surprisingly so for their age. He assumes Suki's been learning from Ema most of her life, but the others are keeping pace and the Captain hardly stops for corrections.

He's genuinely surprised to see that Sokka's not doing terribly. Not that his expectations could have been any lower. Still. He's not tripping all over himself and he hasn't chopped off any of his fingers; he's actually doing pretty okay.

It's a bit irritating. And only because Sokka himself is irritating.

"Okay, pair off and head out back. I don't want you back in here until your eyebrows are on your chins. _Get_!" Ema claps her hands and the girls instantly obey. "Suki and Sokka, you can stay in here."

Her niece and new trainee stay put until the training hall empties out.

The room is big enough to fit them all when they're working through choreographed drills, but for proper sparring the clearing behind the building has far more space to work with.

"You two take a seat. You," she points to Zuko, "come on up. It's your turn."

Zuko stands out of pure instinct to listen to the authoritative tone, but he doesn't approach right away.

"Suki said you weren't comfortable sparring with steel, so we'll use staffs."

"That's not what I said," he defends.

"Then we'll use blades," she gestures to the scabbard he's left on the bench.

He doesn't move to retrieve it. He locks onto her brown gaze and there's no place to get himself out of this.

"I'd rather not," he admits. He goes up to the weapon wall and grabs two wooden staffs. Its full height reaches just under his chest. He's used these before, but it's been several years. He tosses one over to the Captain and takes his spot just off the center of the open space. 

Suki and Sokka take the bench and their expressions are pure glee.

Familiar anger swirls in the pit of his stomach and he feels hate for both of them. They're sitting around to see him humiliated and Ema's fine with letting that happen.

Firebending? Humiliation is expected. In front of his grandfather, his father, his tutors, and, what he'd always deemed most important, Azula. He's spun and fallen. He's kicked his legs and nothing came forth. He's sat for hours and hours at only four years old meditating in front of a teacher because they know he's a bender, but nothing seems to drag a flame out of him.

A bit of swordplay? That's his expertise. He knows going against a Master means he likely won't win, but that doesn't mean he can't prove himself.

(His father would disagree, but his father isn't here to comment. How easier it is to breathe when his father isn't around to dismiss him.)

He's not going to sit around quietly to let them mock him.

Zuko's legs spread into his stance, different immediately to the one of the Captain's warriors. 

Ema tucks her own staff under her arm and approaches him. She grabs his staff and in one swift move slams it down over her thigh. It snaps cleanly in half. He visibly flinches at the loud noise and he catches himself before more than just a quick breath of air escapes him. He hears Sokka gasp somewhere at his right.

She holds out the two broken halves, "you're used to dual blades, aren't you?"

He slowly takes them.

"Yes, Captain," he mutters.

That's one way to do it. They're not as heavy as his real blades, but he already feels more comfortable with two halves than a single whole and with both hands free to move independently from the other.

"I've been doing this a very long time and have fought masters to imbeciles. Fight at your best and I'll match your pace."

"Right." 

Zuko falls back into his stance, each hand holding one half of the wooden staff. He may have gotten a growth spurt this year, but she still towers over him. Her expression is all steely calmness and he feels himself relax at the familiarity. This is just like training with Master Piandao. 

Firebending is offensive. Fire Nation soldiers always strike first.

His foot twitches in an aborted step and he doesn't strike out. Her eyes don't move but he knows for a fact based on her skill level that she's spotted it. He pushes himself through his own hesitation and swings at her. One goes for her ear and is swiftly followed by the second down by her waist. Her one stick moves to block them both just as quickly.

They exchange strikes in rapid succession.

Being right-handed means that his left side tends to aim forward, leaving him at a disadvantage from the start. While swinging out he slips his right foot forward to angle that side toward his opponent to get a better read on her movements using his healthy ear and eye. During training, he hadn't practiced left-handed as he'd assumed eventually he'd start feeling more comfortable with his regular stance. With an opponent across him, it's far from comfortable and he tries to adjust.

During a duck to the right under her left arm, her right brings the stick down against his hip and he staggers to a stop. 

Master Piandao had only ever tapped him with enough force to show he'd left himself open for a strike. He's woken the next morning after training with Master Zhi covered in bruises. Ema's hit sits in the middle between hard enough to prove a point and gentle enough not to leave a mark. He'd expected that when her blow inevitably landed that it would hurt a lot more. 

He straightens and turns to her, arms raised and foot slipping back. He realizes too late it's the right one and he's in the same predicament as earlier.

She initiates this time.

He tries using her size against her by ducking and dodging and moving in circles around her. It doesn't work. She's slightly slower than he is, but her reach extends where she can't turn in time. 

She gets him in the back of the shin and he falls to one knee. He spins in place and gets back up in one graceful move. When he's facing her again, she lowers her weapon and falls out of her fighting stance.

"At ease," she orders and he obeys.

There's only a short distance between them and she reaches out to touch his face. He grits his teeth painfully to hold back the urge to flinch away. The back of her hand moves to his left cheek and presses gently to prompt him to turn his head to the side. She stares at the pink skin around his eye and ear. He's grateful he can't see her expression and the curiousity in her eyes.

It forces him to look at their two-member audience. Suki shoots him two thumbs up and smiles. Sokka is watching them with the utmost fascination. There's no mocking there. No jeering at his failures. He should have lasted so much longer. His father would say he should win. His cheeks still feel warm in embarrassment.

"Your eye. How much vision do you have left? Give me a percentage, presuming prior to the injury you were at a hundred percent."

"Um... Twenty-five?"

"Hm," she hums thoughtfully, "and did this impact your hearing as well?"

"Yeah. It's about fifty percent, I think."

He sees Sokka frown, but he smartly doesn't comment.

"I see. How old is the injury?"

"Twenty-four days."

Three weeks and three days since his fateful Agni Kai.

She frowns and her hand moves up until her knuckle brushes the edge of the raised skin around his scar. He doesn't move. He reminds himself to breathe.

"That's well healed for only three weeks," she comments. "I've seen a lot of burns in my time, but nothing quite like this."

His response is to shrug. He can't think of an appropriate response or a lie convincing enough to get himself out of this situation.

Surprisingly, she doesn't press it.

"You're well trained, but this is holding you back," she says and pats the scar before finally taking her hand away.

"I'll learn to fight around it," he says, tone shaky from nerves.

"You need to fight through it," she says sternly. "You think you're going to hurt someone, that's why you refuse to use steel."

His eyes fall to the ground.

"I meant no offense, Captain. I..." He licks his dry lips, "It's not that I think you can't... Without being able to see fully my coordination is off and I can't be sure that my blades are where I expect them to be. It would be hard to anticipate my moves when even I'm not sure what they are."

She reaches to the back of her belt and pulls out her golden fan. She holds it in her left hand and the staff remains in her right. "Have you heard the story about this yet?" She spreads open the fan and turns it so he can see its back where her index and little finger are holding it in place opposite her thumb. The stubs of her middle and ring fingers sit in between.

She's holding it slightly differently from how he's seen her girls hold them with her grip spreading evenly between the two furthest fingers while the middle is loosely held with the stubs.

He shakes his head. He's wondered, as they all have, but he hasn't spoken to anyone from the village aside from Suki. And that has only been a few words exchanged on occasion.

"A few years ago, my darling niece," she shoots a pointed glance at Suki who has dropped her face in her hands. The tips of her ears are pink. "Decided that she wanted to go for a swim at the beach with the other girls. Showing off, she went further out than we allow. It wasn't long until our great Unagi decided he'd had enough of that. With a bit of effort and two lost fingers, I managed to get her out of Unagi's mouth eventually."

Sokka shoves a hand against his mouth to contain his laughter, but Suki still hears it and shoves him in the shoulder. She lifts her head and her smile is sheepish.

"I said I was sorry!"

Ema only grins and raises a brow in Zuko's direction, "at least the kids listen now when we warn them about the beach."

He smiles faintly, "right."

"People have disabilities sometimes, that's just a fact," she says, back to serious, "and yes, adjusting is necessary, but that doesn't negate all the knowledge and muscle memory that you already have. You're telling yourself you're going to hurt me because of your new disabilities. Does that come from fact? Have you hurt anyone?"

"... No," he admits.

"I thought as much. I want to test something."

She puts away her weapons and stops behind Zuko. A piece of cloth is drawn over his eyes rendering his world completely dark and it's knotted tightly under his phoenix tail. The wooden halves are tugged out of his hands and he stands there waiting for instructions. After a moment, he hears the familiar draw of steel and he's given his dao blades.

He's intimately familiar with their weight, slightly heavier on the curved side and the left lighter than the right by a fraction that only he would notice. He could draw it from memory; burnt redwood where his thumbs rest from struggling with Firebending control, edges he keeps sharp enough to cut through tree trunks, gold guards and pommels. They're his single most prized possession because they're _his_.

They're not a family heirloom or a gift from some noble trying to gain favour. Azula has always gotten anything and everything she's always wanted and these blades are the only possession she can't lay claim to. He'd personally spent hours with Master Piandao making them from scratch, an honour few have been gifted. 

Just the feel of them in his hands again puts him at ease, even if the situation itself calls for the opposite.

His right leg slips back and he waits.

There are no instructions.

A whistle of wind comes from slightly to his right and he falls instantly into practiced movements.

He blocks her swipe and the clang of metal on metal echoes through the room. She's taken out her own dual fans. 

He breathes in and out slowly, centering himself. He hears the rustling of her uniform, the shuffle of her feet, the wind parting for her blade, the creak of an old wooden floor. Sokka's little gasp. Suki leaning forward. He ducks right and feels the heat of her body pass him by.

He parries. He ducks and jumps out of reach. He drops down to swipe his leg out at her. All moves he's done since he was little and training under the first kind master he's ever had.

Steel meets steel. Her fan knocks one of his blades aside and he twists the other one to block a swipe at his throat. He lunges forward with a strike of his own that only meets empty air. He can't see her move out of the way, but he senses it.

There's no moment of hesitation in his advances anymore. She's made this decision herself; if he hurts her, she's taken that on as her problem. He trusts her skills enough that she won't harm him. It's rewarding to finally unleash what he knows he's capable of without having to think constantly. His muscles aren't tense in anticipation of a wrong move. He doesn't have to shift his focus to try to remember to put his good side forward.

It's the closest thing to fun since the days of running around in his mother's garden.

All those trained with swords at the palace would refuse to train with him simply based on his father's contempt of the fighting style. From those that would agree, few could actually make it worth his while. And the very few that could would go easy on him because of his rank.

He doesn't know how much time has passed when his breathing starts to get a bit more winded. The grip is slick with sweat and he only holds on tighter. 

Her fans slide in between his blades and a twist of her wrists launches them out of his hands. They clatter loudly to the ground on either side of him.

She tugs the cloth up to his forehead.

"There we go. Now wasn't that much better?"

Suki places two fingers between her lips and whistles loudly. She starts clapping and Sokka joins in with a cheer.

Zuko's cheeks redden with embarrassment. Their applause is not to mock him; he's learned to recognize clapping that's a little too slow and an indulgent smile a little too close to an amused grin for what it really is. They're both openly happy with the performance, perhaps even entertained. His stomach warms with a strange sense of pride.

"Yes, Captain," he says.

"It's you that's limiting you, not your injury," she tells him. "Stop doubting yourself, Koda. You're quite skilled for your age and you're going to adapt. Give yourself some time, practice hard, and it'll come."

"Yes, Captain."

He picks up his dao blades and inspects them from habit. They don't need sharpening, but he'll give them a touch up later.

"Your blades are in good shape," she comments.

"Thank you." That's a compliment he'll accept readily. He might be self-conscious about his swordsmanship, but the maintenance will always be impeccable.

"But if you're going to use a Fire Nation weapon, I'd suggest giving it a coat of paint. Redwood's obvious. We trade with them; we're used to seeing their goods in the hands of our people, but the further north you go the less people will take to it."

"Right..."

Had any of the kids told him to do so, he would have put up a fight about it - vandalizing a Piandao original is practically blasphemous. He can't do that in front of Ema without giving something away. He, unfortunately, has to admit to himself that she has a point. Anyone with an eye for weapons will be able to tell it's Fire Nation craftsmanship. Ema might be assuming he's traded or stolen them, but it's unlikely others will be willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.

Suki appears at his side and throws an arm around his shoulder.

"It's my turn to beat up Koda now, right?"

He awkwardly leans away from the casual touch but to keep from being rude doesn't pull away completely.

"Have at it. You two head to the back." Ema turns to Sokka, "Your turn. Grab a staff."

Sokka jumps off the bench and runs to the small stash of weapons placed by the wall exuding excitement.

Suki's arm slips to his wrist and she tugs him along to the far back of the room, "You're not going to try and convince me to use the staffs, are you?"

"Not much point. It wouldn't work anyway."

She pats his shoulder companionably.

When they're done for the day, Zuko couldn't say whether he or Suki won that sparring session. They'd both had the upper hand and knocked each other down on multiple occasions. He'll be sore in the morning but he finds himself invigorated. He's looking forward to training with her again; he's excited to spar with someone with equal skills and who won't treat him like he's fragile just because he's a prince.

Suki has no qualms whatsoever about tossing him over her shoulder like a ragdoll.

They'd have kept going if Ema hadn't called a stop to training. 

Sokka's already sprawled on the bench soaked in sweat by then and the warriors are trickling back in. Ema's comment about eyebrows being on chins was not wholly inaccurate; the red eyeshadow has leaked down to their lips.

"You survived Suki's wrath!" Yoshie says and pats his arm affectionately. Her headband is askew and her ponytail is half undone.

They're all every level of disgusting that comes with several hours of intense hard work and it's satisfying. Now that his heart rate is calming down, all he wants is a shower.

"Just barely," Suki teases, "you think that one will make it home alright?" 

She gestures over to Sokka. He's managed to prop himself up into a seated position, but it doesn't look likely that he'll get to his feet.

Zuko shakes his head in exasperation.

"We have a free day tomorrow, but you should come by the day after that for more training. We'll get you a uniform and everything," Suki says.

Some of the girls are chatting with Ema, and the rest have wandered off to get washed up and changed.

"It would be an honour to join you again," he says and her smile tells him it was the right thing to say. His hands move on instinct to form the flame for a bow, but he jerks them back into place. It would be too obviously out of place here. "Thank you for the invitation."

"No worries, I'm always looking for new people to spar against. And just you wait, I plan on getting my rematch."

"I look forward to it."

"I'm going to go wash up. Are you guys going to be at the beach tomorrow?"

"Most likely."

Aang doesn't seem inclined to have them leave just yet. Chances are they'll still be around for training in two days' time.

"I'll see you there. I leave Sokka in your capable hands. Please don't let him keel over on the way home, the girls actually like him."

"Yeah, 'the girls'." Yoshie slides away before Suki can form a response.

"Bye," she huffs and leaves Zuko's side.

He doesn't pay their words any mind. He resheathes his blades and wanders over to Sokka.

"Let's go. I want to shower."

"Yeah, yeah... Help me up." Sokka holds out his hand and Zuko tugs him to his feet. He staggers forward and Zuko has to steady him. "I think I'm dying."

"You're not dying, you idiot. You overworked yourself."

They start making their way out, using the front door whilst the girls are heading out back. A chorus of farewells follows them out.

"You haven't been training for a long time, Sokka. You're allowed to say when you've had enough."

"I could have kept going!" Sokka protests. His wobbly legs render the words meaningless.

"If you push yourself too hard, you're going to end up getting hurt. Don't complain to me when it happens."

"Sure, whatever you say jerkbender."

Zuko eyes their surroundings, but the path to their borrowed home is quiet.

"You were actually pretty good," Sokka says and the compliment seems genuine. Zuko's immediately on edge. "I didn't think your people bothered with swords."

"We don't. Not usually." Sokka gives him a look that he's learned to mean he wants him to keep talking. If he stays silent much longer he'll start asking questions. It's faster to simply give him what he's looking for. "I thought it was interesting, so I learned. Not much to it."

"Cool. You should try the fans. They're fun."

"Maybe next time."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! 
> 
> *Just a reminder that since this is in Zuko's POV, he's going to be oblivious to some things going on around him. No, he has no idea that Sokka has a huge crush on Suki, and can't see Aang's crush on Katara at all (all the baby crushes since they are babies). There will be hints to canonical pairings, but since Zuko is our main narrator a lot of that will be sidelined because he's a one-track brain. #honour


	14. Training With the Kyoshi Warriors Pt.2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zuko trains with the warriors again. Stuff happens. Not much else to add.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not going to spoil anything, but this chappie got away from me. 
> 
> Enjoy :)
> 
> Trigger Warning: extremely vague reference to sexual assault to off-screen characters. Panic attack. Mild self harm.

He wouldn't say he's excited to put on the uniform, but he isn't _not_ excited either. Zuko doesn't know a lot about the past Avatars, talking about them is one of Ozai's whims short of being completely illegal in the Fire Nation. But Avatar Kyoshi can't be erased from history no matter how hard Sozin and Azulon tried. She impacted the world in a big way; she brought about change only the way an Avatar can.

It's an honour to be allowed to wear her uniform.

He sits still while Suki does his makeup with broad strokes of white, black, and red. She's the only one he's comfortable letting near his face. She'd spent yesterday at the beach with them and he's found himself getting along with her surprisingly well. That would crumble immediately should she learn he's Fire Nation, but he has no intention of her ever finding out about that.

She holds up the mirror to him when she's finished and as she'd promised before starting, the layers are thick enough to cover up the scar. His face is identical to all the warriors around him.

His first instinct is fear. This practically amounts to treason. His father would burn the other eye in reprimand. But a small rebellious part of him is almost... thrilled. He's spent so long trying to gain approval and dismissing it is freeing. At least for the next little while, he can allow himself this. Ozai will never know.

"Come on, Koda. Time to get destroyed." She punches her fist into her other palm and her eyes glint playfully.

He sets aside the mirror and follows her into the main hall for stretching. She takes her spot in the front and he falls in between her and Sokka.

Upon spotting him, Sokka holds up his hand and says, "nice outfit, cuz!" It hadn't taken long for him to simply refuse to accept the name 'Koda' and has started calling him 'cuz', short for cousin, instead.

Zuko assumes it's a wave and nods in greeting. The hand doesn't go down. "... it's the same as yours?" He can't help the questioning lilt at the end.

"Boys! Stretching - _now_ ," Ema snaps them to attention.

Sokka's hand goes down and his bottom lip juts out into a pout.

Zuko's missed something here, but he can't begin to imagine what that something is.

They stretch until they're warmed up and ready to go without risk of injury. A group of the younger girls is brought out back by one of the older warriors to practice their shield formations and to leave space to spar inside under Ema's watchful gaze. Suki and Sokka are paired together, and Zuko finds himself paired with Yoshie.

She's the only warrior here older than Suki at a full thirteen years old, he learned from being forced to listen to Suki and Sokka's gossiping. She started training later and isn't quite as motivated as Suki, leaving the future Captaincy to the slightly younger girl. Yoshie isn't by any means far behind her in skill, however, and Zuko quickly works up a sweat.

Rather than try out the fans just yet, she's asked him to use his blades to get some practice in for herself. His fighting style is different from theirs and offers a good opportunity to learn to adapt to a new opponent.

He starts off a bit hesitant. Ema's words had sunk in and he knows he won't hurt her - she's too good to let a hit land - but it takes a minute or two for her to beat the nerves out of him. Then it's game on.

Firebending mostly relies on brute force. Not necessarily physical strength, but that stubborn need to move forward without any detours. That's translated to how the Fire Nation soldiers like to fight as well; swords drawn and tackle the enemy head-on. Zuko's never felt comfortable with that style, it doesn't suit him. His swordsmanship gave him the chance to utilize his strengths. His speed and agility. He has a good reaction time and he's quick on his feet.

The Kyoshi Warrior method is to use their opponents' strength against them while using their, generally, smaller size to their advantage.

He can easily envision this small group of young girls taking on an entire squadron of the Fire Nation's top non-bending soldiers and coming out the victors.

Yoshie leans completely backward to dodge his blade. Her hand reaches over her head to catch herself and she kicks her feet up to do a full backflip.

They'd probably beat out a group of benders too, he decides.

He might not have her flexibility (he thinks of Ty Lee, suddenly, and wonders if she's left for the circus yet), but they're on par otherwise. He couldn't get the upper hand against Suki for long, and he can't against Yoshie either.

Suki and Sokka are near them and he can't help but laugh when he pushes her fan aside and knocks her on her back. He misses Yoshie hooking her foot around his ankle. She tugs his foot out from under him and shoves him hard in the chest. He lands only inches from Suki with the wind knocked out of him.

She turns her head towards him, "I let that happen. Just so you know."

"Sure." His lips curl into a smile. He grabs Yoshie's hand when she reaches out to help him to his feet and Suki leaps to her's.

Her attention returns to Sokka and making sure she takes him out at least another dozen times to make up for his one stroke of good luck.

Ema instructs them to change partners a couple of times in the next hour or so. Zuko's quickly spoken for, much like Yoshie the other warriors are taking advantage of training against dual blades while they have the chance.

He wouldn't say his eyebrows have reached his chin quite yet, but by the time someone's handing him fans his breathing's getting heavy and the gloves are completely damp on the inside.

"Okay, Koda, time to get serious," Suki says. She pulls out her own fan and keeps it closed, "so put your thumb here, and index here, and this finger here..."

She moves his fingers around until they're holding the fans correctly and she spends a couple of minutes showing him the right way to open them (and apparently there is such a thing as a 'right way' to open a fan) and how to close them. He can tell that the edges aren't as sharp as everyone else's and that's probably in case he drops it. They could go right through a shoe and toe.

It's not as uncomfortable as he thought it would be. His experience with dual weapons helps. They're lighter than he expected and he moves them experimentally to feel the way they cut through the air. She demonstrates a few basic forms and he copies her slowly. 

He can feel the push of air when he swings the fan in one broad stroke. With some practice, he can see how seamlessly these might feel like an extension of his body. The small size allows for closer combat than a blade and it's an opening to throw an opponent off-kilter.

His dual blades will always be his favourite, but these might come in second.

"Ready to try this for real?" Suki challenges and his response is to go for the first strike.

It quickly gets aggressive. And not the way it usually goes when he and Azula spar - Suki doesn't take advantage of a few wrong moves to claim herself superior. She shifts to give him space to balance himself and they go back to fighting just as quickly. He doesn't go for the easy strike when she leaves her stomach open and he has a free hand.

He's learning from her without her trying to make him feel inferior, and he thinks she might actually be learning something from him in turn.

It's not the type of aggression he's used to. Maybe it would be better to simply say they're competitive. Even if they're giving each other freedom to correct mistakes, neither of them are willing to lose.

This is fun.

His face is getting itchy and he's gritty and grimy and kind of hungry by now, but he doesn't plan on stopping.

When they leave Kyoshi Island, he's never going to see any of these people again. Unless his father finally makes the order to end their fragile alliance with them. He'll take these hours, treasure them, and pocket the memories for later. 

The other pairs slowly spread further out to give them more room. Some stop completely and press up against the wall. Ema doesn't shout at them to get back to training; she's watching them too.

They leap off the bench and push themselves off the walls. They flip here and there to dodge. Zuko doesn't take conscious notice of the space they're being given, but he uses it to push her back only to step out of the way when she swipes a leg at his feet.

She's elegant and smooth in her movements and it feels almost like a dance.

The sounds of their feet hitting the wood floors and their steadily more laborious breathing are suddenly overshadowed by whispering. The far end of the room where the others have gathered to give them space has had a stream of soft 'ooh's and 'aah's and the occasional gasp, but the pitch gets higher. Neither he nor Suki clue in right away and keep going.

Around the room high up on the walls are metal torches, long gone unused. They only use the training hall during the day where the sunshine can keep the area lit on its own.

Cold ash lights up in gold with a shimmer of purple and blue and green at its base.

Hands reach out for fans, some reach for each other.

His inner flame burns hot. Not the searing heat of overworked Firebending or the flickering of failure. It's pleasant; it dances with them. The layers make him warmer than usual, but his body temperature is controlled and tempered as his uncle has tried to teach him since returning from Ba Sing Se. For once his inner flame seems happy with him. It's not fighting him at every turn.

He spins. The flame jumps from the torch to the edge of the fan. It leaves a trail of light as the weapon moves around him. For a moment, it doesn't seem strange to him. He's set his weapons on fire before - even if Master Piandao scolds him for risking the integrity of the blades. 

It's when Suki steps back with something like fear in her eyes that he remembers where he is. Realizes what he's done. One of her hands raises to her mouth in shock.

He's slightly crouched with one fan out front and the other closer to his body, just the way she'd shown him. The fans are bathed in golden fire down to the grip, stopping at the end of his fingerprints.

He snaps them shut and the fire fades out. He turns to Ema.

Her expression remains neutral. She gives nothing away; her face is steady the same way his father would always watch him train. He's learned to see the disappointment beneath the cold eyes and tense brows, but he doesn't know Ema enough to read between the lines.

His grip goes lax and both fans drop.

Although the girls are still whispering amongst themselves, the clang of metal on wood echoes loudly in his ears. Their voices fade out completely.

He bypasses Suki and falls to his knees in front of Ema, prostrating himself in front of the highest rank on instinct.

He can't breathe.

"Girls. Out. _Now_."

Suki obeys her Captain, despite her surprise. She shoves the girls out of the room into the yard. Zuko's eyes are on the hardwood floor and he doesn't move to watch them go.

Sokka doesn't leave. Ema doesn't ask him to.

He spots her shoes approach in his peripheral. He parts his lips and through a dry throat manages to say, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

His inner flame flickers out entirely as fear pierces his heart like a venomous dagger.

The entire room drops in temperature; his breath comes out in grey fog. The walls themselves creek at the sudden change from warmth to cold. It seeps under his skin and into his bones and he starts to shiver. Although that might just as well be from terror.

Ema kneels in front of him. He doesn't look up to face her.

His mouth opens but no further words are spoken. He can't manage it.

"It's okay, Koda," she says in a tone that's almost soft, "just breathe."

One of his hands goes up to the collar of the outfit and he tugs at it. His throat feels swollen shut. His lungs are starting to burn and ache for air and his heart's beating in his hands and mouth and temples.

She reaches out to touch his shoulder. He barely sees her hand and it still startles him; he stumbles backward off his knees. He turns slightly away from her and one arm goes down to catch him from falling on his face. His nails scratch at his throat and he chokes in some oxygen. He doesn't feel the pain. 

He's torn between fear of repercussion and an anxiety drawn from his inability to breathe. He's growing more panicked as the seconds pass. He doesn't know how to pull himself out of this spiraling descent.

Ema retracts her hand and shifts a bit backward to give him more space. She looks over at the room's only other occupant, "Sokka? Can you-"

"He's good, I swear, he-"

"Try to help him breathe. We'll talk after. We need to calm him down first."

"Yes, Captain."

Sokka kneels in front of Zuko and leans down so that he can be in his line of sight. He slowly reaches out to him and this time Zuko doesn't react. He gives his shoulder a gentle squeeze and watches his expression carefully.

"I need you to breathe with me, okay, bud?" 

He inhales deeply and slowly exhales, keeping his eyes locked with Zuko's all the while, even if it seems like Zuko isn't actually seeing him.

Zuko continues to take in short deep gulps of air. Sokka grabs the hand Zuko's using to support himself and places it on his own chest while rebalancing him so he doesn't topple over. He keeps breathing and slowly, very slowly, Zuko starts to follow his lead.

The hand that isn't on Sokka's chest, the one grasping at his throat, slips upward over the scarred left eye and presses deep into the pink skin. 

It's scalding. Like the day he'd been gifted the scar as punishment. It's a phantom pain; he knows of the term and what it means; that doesn't make a difference.

His palm grows wet as his injured eye tears up.

Sokka's lips are practically blue from cold; his inner flame is eating up any heat that's trying to enter the room.

This has only happened to him once before. After his mother had vanished and his father was named Fire Lord. He'd blocked his door and curled in his blankets, burrowed in his own cold with fear of what the future would give them.

It's much worse now. He's never been this scared in his life. When Ozai had burned him, it had happened so fast there was no time for fear. He's waiting for Ema to strike him, to cut him, to shout, to cast him out. He's waiting for a reprimand.

"Come on, cuz..." Sokka whispers. "It's okay. I'm right here."

As annoying as he might find the slightly younger boy, it is comforting.

At least he's not alone.

He breathes. It goes from frantic to close to normal. His inner flame weakly sputters back to life and the room is allowed to reheat naturally from the mid afternoon sunshine. The shivering doesn't stop yet; his head's buzzing with it.

"I'm sorry," he whispers hoarsely.

"Don't worry about it," Sokka reassures him.

Zuko slumps against him, suddenly exhausted. Sokka wraps his arms around his shoulders.

"Koda," Ema says softly, "it's truly okay."

Zuko doesn't respond. He hears her, but a part of him is still stuck in his own head and memories.

"I've seen mixed children before, Koda. Soldiers have always taken advantage of women in the lands they conquer. That you can Firebend makes you one of the unlucky ones, but if you say you're Water Tribe, I believe you. Your identity is yours. You don't have to fear me, I promise."

She's completely off about her assumption. Neither boy corrects her.

It sends his thoughts in that direction, however, and the idea alone makes him sick. Or sicker than he already feels right now. His stomach rolls disapprovingly at what he's just put his body through and he recognizes the telltale signs of incoming muscle aches. His instinct is to defend his soldiers, but he can't because he doesn't know the truth.

There very well may be Firebending children spread throughout the Earth Kingdom where the Fire Nation soldiers have staked their claim or swept on by. Maybe even in the Southern Water Tribe; it's not like Sokka or Katara would tell him so. They could be living this fear constantly; this could be their entire lives. A wave of sympathy hits him and it's crushing to his already fragile mental state.

He hates this. 

Push it away, just like father always told him to do. Be immovable. Be strong. Be brave.

Crying is a weakness. Those women were in the way; those children are byproducts.

_The hawk has a broken wing, Zuko. It's useless. Snap its neck and toss it away._

He didn't - he couldn't. Because he's soft. A useless prince with his own broken wing.

Push it down, shove it all down. There's no need for fear. He's in control. He's Prince Zuko; he can kill her if he needs to. He's safe. She has no power over him. She is nothing. She has no authority over him.

His lungs burn and he forces air in and out.

"I know this must be terrifying-"

He doesn't have the energy to deny it.

"But you're safe here. It's true I had my suspicions, but you're helping the last Airbender. You're a good kid, Koda. Being a Firebender doesn't take that from you. Now that you're breathing a little better, let me get you some water."

"No," he cuts in, voice scratchy from a dry throat. "I'm leaving."

He stands abruptly and wobbles slightly on his feet. His hand falls away from his eye and he vaguely registers the white and red stain on his palm from touching his makeup. They both follow him up and Sokka carefully grabs his shoulder with the hand he'd just shrugged off him when standing.

Every burning nerve in his body is reacting to the base need to escape this situation. His fight or flight response has settled on flight now that there's no immediate danger to fight off.

"You should stay. Let me get you water," Ema tries.

She's not firm and her usual authority is easily ignored.

"Are you planning on killing me?"

"Of course not-"

"Then I'm leaving." He's feeling lightheaded.

He shoves Sokka aside and rushes out of the room without a glance back.

He has to slip around the back of their house to vomit in some bushes away from prying eyes. His meager breakfast and the water he'd drank in between spars burns on its way out and his eyes water further. He spits out the residue and drags himself inside to wash up.

When the door closes behind him, the silence falls on him like comfort. Aang and Katara are at the beach finding ways to amuse themselves. He's alone.

He somehow stumbles to the washroom although his entire body is still shaking and he can hardly put one foot in front of the other. He tosses aside the headband and the top layer of the uniform. It's hugely disrespectful, but it's suffocating and he can't be bothered to consider that. He turns on the tap, plugs the drain, and waits a moment for the basin to fill.

His hands drop to the edge of the counter to support him. His arms are shaking and he straightens them to lock his elbows in place and has to spread his legs slightly to hold himself steady. He doesn't think he's going to faint, but he should probably get to a horizontal surface to lay down for a moment.

He makes the mistake of looking up at the mirror and winces at his own reflection. His hair's pulled back in his usual hairstyle, but so many hours of physical activity later, there are several loose strands plastered to the sweat and makeup over his temples and cheeks. The paint had likely already been smudging on its own, but the red and white over his left eye are mixing together into some form of pink mess. It's all dripping down his neck and maybe the collars are made high to hide that.

He dunks his head into the water once it's full enough.

He scrubs until the water is stained grey. He drains it and starts over several more times, doing his best to avoid looking up into the mirror again. A traditional makeup style made for warriors was engineered to be easy enough to remove and he's glad he doesn't need whatever special solution Azula uses to clean off her makeup. 

The water runs clear a few minutes later and he finishes by wiping his hands clean.

He looks into the mirror again. His face is clean and he feels a bit fresher. At least his stomach has settled and there's no fear of another bout of vomiting, though there can't be anything left to come up.

He unties his phoenix tail and carefully draws back the wet loose strands to re-tie it all up together as is proper for a prince. His hands fall to his sides and he stares blankly at himself.

The scar is angrier, somehow, with the blotchiness of crying beneath his eyelid. Long red lines are on his neck from when he clawed at it for air, though not deep enough to draw blood. His cheeks are paler than usual like he's had a fright. He looks a bit like he's about to pass out, truthfully. The ruined makeup had hidden something worse beneath it.

Zuko has spent his entire life being told by the palace staff that he looks a lot like his mother. A few noblewomen would tell Ursa, " _my, he looks just like you! Such a handsome young man."_ He'd always taken it as a compliment, of course, because he knew his mother was beautiful.

He covers his left eye and all he sees is Ozai.

How would his father react if he knew how pathetic he'd been today?

Azula would mock him, but it would not be cruel. She's cruel with everyone else; he's heard her comments and seen her pointed looks meant to tear people down. But she's very rarely intentionally cruel with him. Before she learned to use words to her advantage, he'd been the one to teach her the difference between what is an acceptable thing to say and what isn't as she was never able to make that distinction herself. There's something in who Azula is that makes her struggle with understanding the way people feel until it's explained to her.

She'll test the limits with him, still. She'll test the waters of what she should and shouldn't say based on his reactions and then turn around and use it to get her way with everyone else. 

She is hurtful and often unkind, but it's not cruelty.

Ozai, on the other hand, has always used cruelty to raise him right. Zuko may be loyal to his father and he knows he's doing his best to make him a good heir (where Zuko has done nothing but fail), but he also knows the difference between positive and negative reinforcement. Training the komodo rhino's taught him that.

The part of him that accepts the scar as a symbol of his own disappointing behavior has to also acknowledge that his father would not react well to his behaviour today.

The image of Ozai frightens him, and that fear disgusts him. He isn't frightened of his father - Ozai did what had to be done to teach him a lesson. Any other Fire Lord would have done the same; they should for his appalling cowardice.

He pictures a second scarred eye. That's what today would merit him. For something out of his control. What could he have done differently? Could he have forced his heart to stop racing and his body to stop quivering? Could he have found some way to wipe the thoughts of his father's flaming hand out of his mind before he broke down?

His face scrunches in an attempt to hold back tears.

His hands form fists and he slams them against the mirror. Glass bends into the wooden sheet holding it together until it shatters into tiny pieces that rain down over the basin and onto the floor. His head drops forward and he sobs. It echoes back at him mockingly.

Blood trickles down his fingers and wrists.

He picks the glass out of his hands and tosses it onto the counter. The small pricks of pain are almost nice. Finally, the pain isn't all in his own head.

He leaves the bathroom a mess; he has no energy to try and clean it all right now. He goes to the bedroom he shares with the other two boys and changes into the blue clothes that are shamefully starting to feel comfortable.

He stares at his bedroll longingly, but he knows it's no use. Nightmares have plagued him since the Agni Kai, truthfully even before then but those were easier to ignore. It's nearly impossible for him to get consecutive hours of sleep. If it's not the nightmares that wake him, it's restlessness. He's grateful, at least, that he can keep quiet while his mind shoves images of fire and dead Avatars at him. With the others around him every night, the last thing he'd want is for them to know about them.

The first night here he'd woken from a vivid nightmare about floating into the sun, which is more creative than his dreams usually are, but wholly unpleasant when it ended with him feeling like his entire body was on fire. He'd never been able to lay around doing nothing and promptly snuck around Sokka's sprawled out form and Aang curled into a tiny ball with Momo sleeping under his arm without any issues.

Sokka's entire plan to 'watch him' failing instantly.

Kyoshi Island is exceptionally quiet at night. A small community such as theirs wakes and sleeps together. He saw no one as he walked over to the beach and he follows that same path now, only there are a few people wandering about at this time of day and he walks with his head down hoping no one will try to speak to him.

Katara and Aang's voices carry into the forest and he gives them a wide berth. He needlessly steps over twigs and leaves by instinct; they wouldn't notice he's near them even if he made as much noise as possible.

The beach itself is nestled between two large rock walls and while wandering the island at night he'd found a little space beyond the far wall that appears to be unused by the villagers, even more so than the sandy shore. From the wall into the ocean there's a small section of sand before it turns into dirt and tucks nicely into the forest. The empty ground wouldn't be wide enough for all of them to set up camp.

It's quiet and cut off from the world by rock and water and trees all around him and it's exactly where he needs to be to get himself sorted.

He'd spent the night here until he'd felt sunrise coming on soon and then returned to his bedroll as if he'd never left. That same tranquility isn't immediate today.

He sits in the corner of sand and curls into himself. His chin rests on his knees and he stares out into the water. With his bad ear to the wall he can't hear the other two anymore and he settles into the silence.

His temples are throbbing with a budding headache that's making it near impossible to lose himself in a half-hearted meditation. He rocks himself back and forth and that helps to center his thoughts.

It takes a while for the shaking to stop completely and for his heart rate to calm to something less worrying. Slowly his inner flame brightens with help from the afternoon sun, although it takes much longer for the warmth to spread to his extremities. His cold fingers are tucked under his armpits.

He's not used to being cold. The Fire Nation is always hot, so much so that kids are taught about keeping safe from dehydration and heatstroke before learning to write. By his first foray into colder territory, he'd learned enough about the breath of life to keep himself from falling prey to frostbite.

He thinks longingly of the fur coat he'd left behind with the rest of his belongings.

His breathing softens. His muscles relax. The rolling nausea has abated and hunger is creeping on him. He feels like his sanity has returned to him.

"Koda!" Sokka's shouting reaches his good ear from the other side of the wall. He repeats his name a second time only louder.

He'd ignore him if he wasn't screaming loud enough to disturb the entire island.

"I'm here!" he calls back; he can't inject as much annoyance into his words as he'd like.

He stares at the wall expectantly. Sokka inevitably appears at the top, deciding to climb over rather than make the way around it. "Hey, buddy!" he shouts down at him. He climbs over to Zuko's side of the rock wall and instantly misses his first step down.

Zuko flinches at the sound of his back hitting the hard ground.

Sokka lifts his hand and then his thumb to show he's okay. Not that Zuko was planning on asking.

He gets up and sits in front of him and slightly to the side so that they can see each other. His lips are stretched into an easy pleasant smile.

"I've been shouting your name forever! Did you not hear me?"

Zuko blinks at him a moment then vaguely gestures to his scarred ear.

Sokka grimaces, "right. Sorry. I saw the state of the bathroom, by the way. I got most of it cleaned up."

"Sorry," Zuko mumbles. "I was going to do it later."

"It's fine." Sokka tugs a tiny first aid kit out of his pocket that contains a few basic necessities. He grabs Zuko's nearest arm and inspects the cuts along the side of his palm and knuckles. "I thought I saw some blood in there. You're an idiot."

Zuko doesn't object.

Sokka takes out a small antiseptic wipe from the kit and starts cleaning the wounds. "I was looking for you to see how you were doing. Captain Ema's pretty worried about you. She wanted me to let you know that your secret is safe with the Kyoshi Warriors. She has no issues with the Firebender thing."

"It's fine."

"That's not really an answer. Are you alright? That was, uh, not so good in there." Sokka moves on to the other hand. The wipe is tainted pink.

"I know. It was pathetic. No need to rub it in," he says bitterly.

"What? No! It's not pathetic; it's just something that happens. There's someone in the Southern Water Tribe that gets those every so often. We call it a waking nightmare, at least, that's what dad calls it."

"I didn't realize it had a name." He didn't realize it was a thing to begin with.

"You met Tulok, right?"

He hums in response.

"When he was a kid he fell through the ice while fishing. I doubt you know much about that sort of thing, but once you're under the ice it's really hard to find the opening again. The light hitting the ice makes everything fuzzy. The way dad tells it, he was under there for at least five minutes and they had to treat him for hypothermia. He's never gone back fishing since; he can't go anywhere near the water. He gets that sort of... thing. Where he can't breathe and he shakes and stuff. It's like he's stuck in a nightmare, but awake. Hence the name."

"I got that."

Sokka puts the dirty wipe in the kit and doesn't pull out anything else. The cuts are too small for a bandage and should heal up fine.

"But he's still super cool, you know? The comparison isn't that you're cool because you're not. You're super lame. But just because something terrifies him like that for a very valid reason, that doesn't change who he is. And you got scared because you thought you were outted and we both know Captain Ema could destroy us both, and yeah. That's scary. But it doesn't have to be a big deal if you don't want it to be. That's all I wanted to say."

Zuko shifts uncomfortably. He stares down at his hands and the freshly cleaned cuts.

"Thanks. I guess."

"Great, so.... you want to join us on the fun side of the wall, or...?"

"I'll stay here."

"Come on," Sokka tries to coax him. "I know you're allergic to fun, but I'm down to spar if you want. I know you're dying to kick my butt."

"That's hardly a challenge."

Sokka pokes his knee a couple of times, the pressure light. "You don't have to sit here all by yourself. I promise to ask Aang not to try to give you any jewelry."

Zuko releases a deep breath and looks up at him, glare weak, "you checked up on me, your civic duty is complete. You can go now."

"Alright, alright, if you say so..." Sokka stands and his movements are slow with hesitation. "Listen, just... if you're not back by dinner, I'm coming to get you. You weren't... okay and I'm not sure you should be alone right now."

"I can take care of myself. I'm not an invalid," he mutters hotly.

"That's not-" Sokka huffs and shakes his head, "Nevermind. I'll see you later."

Zuko doesn't respond.

Sokka still chooses to climb over the wall to get back to the other side rather than go around. The lack of a pained grunt says he's found his footing this time.

Zuko lays back in the sand and covers his eyes with one arm while the other drops limply to his side. He groans to himself. A second reassurance that Ema isn't out for blood is nice, but he's not in a state willing to be seen by people. He stays put, body warming and relaxing.

He's given peace for another twenty minutes or so. Figures it wouldn't last long.

"Hey, Koda!" Suki greets him. He doesn't watch her climb down the wall expertly.

Her steps in the sand are hazy to him but she's purposely not trying to be quiet so he can hear something. He listens to her walk around to his right side and she joins him in the sand. It's considerate; he hates that he needs to be 'considered'.

She tilts her head toward him and he can picture the sand catching in her hair and cringes knowing his own isn't much better off. He doesn't take the arm off his face to actually look at her.

"It's called a high five."

"What?" he asks tiredly because she'll only continue if he doesn't respond.

"The look you were giving Sokka when he tried to give you a high five earlier gave me the idea you might not know what it is. Very startled deer-antelope."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"When he held his hand up like this-"

He uncovers his eyes and looks over to see what she's doing. Her right hand is up in the air, palm facing him. Oh. That does seem familiar. He'd thought he'd missed something. A 'high-five'. That's not a term he's familiar with although his brain's too fuzzy to dig deep into his memories for any instance it may have come up.

"But what is it?" he asks.

"It's..." She frowns like she'd never actually considered the question before. "It's like... to show camaraderie. Almost like congratulations. If you do something well or impressive, then you and the other person will high five. It's kind of hard to explain."

"Okay..."

"Hold up your hand."

He lifts his right hand, palm facing away from her.

"The other one," she says with a soft laugh.

He drops the right hand and brings up his left. She gestures for him to bring it in closer until it's across his body into her space. She slaps her hand against his quickly. He stares at his palm.

"That's it?"

"That's it," she confirms.

"So... when people hold their hand out like this," he demonstrates and she immediately slaps it again. "That happens."

"Exactly."

"And this is... universal? Everyone knows this?"

"Most normal people, yes."

"Oh." He frowns at his own hands. He tucks that information away to consider later. 

She punches his shoulder to get his attention but not hard enough to hurt. He still puts his hand over where she'd hit.

"So. Firebender, huh?" she says conversationally.

He shrugs awkwardly.

"Cool. That's... cool. I thought the fire was supposed to be red."

"It is," he mumbles.

"Oh. Okay." Unlike Sokka, she doesn't press for more details. "I brought you something."

She lifts something from her other side he hadn't spotted earlier and drops it on his stomach. He lifts the scabbard and brings it closer for inspection. It's wood but painted completely black with no particular designs on it to indicate its origins. The shape is identical to his own, built wide for dual blades. The strap is a dark green similar to the Kyoshi Warrior uniform.

"To replace the one you've got. I also have some special wood paint we can put on the hilts of your blades. I left it on the other side."

"Oh." His thumb slides over the smooth wooden surface. It's new. "Thank you. That's... thank you."

"No problem. Hey, so, uh... do you... want to talk about it, or...?"

He turns his head to face her. She's closer than she needs to be, and he's noticed that amongst all the Kyoshi Warriors. Physical affection comes easily to them. They're always hugging or touching in some manner and Suki doesn't show restraint when it comes to crossing into someone's personal space, Zuko's included. It makes his skin itch and he's not sure why.

"No," he says bluntly.

"Alright, but if you change your mind-"

"I won't."

"Okay," she says, resigned. "We're okay with it, you know? We know about mixed kids, it happens. It's not your fault."

His fingers start tapping against the wooden scabbard. His nerves are picking up.

She continues, "we also know you're a good guy. I mean, you're helping the Avatar after all."

His shocked silence is more damning than any answer he could have offered.

"I saw him practicing Waterbending with Katara," she says with an apologetic smile and shrug. "I only told Aunt Ema. We figure if you're helping him, then we don't have anything to worry about."

"I guess."

The warriors and civilians that went to help Mutsu Island never came home, despite the fragile truce with the Fire Nation. What allyship can the Fire Nation Crown Prince have with this future Captain? Someday his father might order him to burn Kyoshi Island to the ground and it'll be his duty to honour that request. Their leniency towards him is convenient but undeserved. His heart aches with something he won't call betrayal.

She turns onto her side, arms tucked up under her head to support herself. Her knees curl into her chest and they just touch his hip. He turns his face skyward to sever their eye contact.

"You should join us. Sokka brought your blades; we can paint them."

"And if I say no is Katara going to be pestering me in another half hour? Or Aang?"

"Probably."

He sighs loudly.

"We can spar. I had a lot of fun kicking your butt."

"I'm pretty sure I was winning."

"Oh really? Prove it. Come on." She moves her leg out to nudge his thigh with her toes.

"Go spar with Sokka." He reaches down to push away her foot.

"He's not as good."

"He's gotten a lot better though," Zuko says. He'd never tell him that to his face; he wouldn't survive the ego. "If I remember right, he knocked you off your feet today."

When her foot meets his thigh this time, it's with a lot more force.

"I let him win on purpose!" she protests.

"If you say so."

"I do." She kicks him once more for good measure. "You coming?"

"If it gets you to leave me alone, then yes."

She's up on her feet the moment the word 'yes' leaves his lips. She reaches down, grabs his hand, and tugs him to his feet with more strength than her smaller figure should allow. He hangs the scabbard over his shoulder and climbs the wall after her.

Privacy is a commodity he won't be getting so long as he's traveling with these kids.

Katara, Aang, and Sokka are sitting in the sand around what's becoming quite the sand village. It has an Air Temple, some Water Tribe huts, what Sokka claims to be Suki and Ema, and various undistinguishable buildings decorated with shells and flowers of all colours and sizes. They wave and smile and greet him and none of them start asking questions. 

He releases a soft little sigh of relief.

Suki shoves him in their direction and brings over a small can of dark brown paint, a couple of brushes, and his dao blades. They sit side by side and the items are placed between them. The others continue to talk companionably. Although he spots Katara frowning at his hands, she doesn't say anything about the cuts. They don't comment on his red-rimmed eyes and splotchy skin.

They each take one blade and carefully paint over the redwood. He hovers his hand over it when he's done and warms the air to dry it faster, a neat trick when writing with ink.

Before long Aang gently places a flower crown on his head while he's bent over his blade, despite Sokka saying he'd tell him not to pawn his jewelry on him. He doesn't look up and he doesn't toss it off. Aang doesn't say anything, only hands another one to Suki who smiles and tucks it over her sandy hair. 

He's too tired to put up a fight. He's not in the mood to argue. He doesn't even want to speak right now and none of them are trying to make him do so. 

He sits in this small circle of comfort where there are no expectations for him for the first time in his life and he feels relaxed, more so than tired. Suki and Ema know his and Aang's secrets and there's no fear because for some reason there's mutual trust.

Zuko's getting used to being uncomfortable in his own thoughts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick heads up regarding updates - I'm taking a work leave due to my depression taking a nosedive and although I'll have a bit more free time, I may not have the energy to write much. I'll try to keep chapters going steady anyway, but my initial statement of weekly-ish might not quite hold up. Sorry!
> 
> I hope you've enjoyed! This was a rough chappie to write up. I'm trying to really show Zuko's inner conflict without it being too much if that makes sense. He's not going to flip over to the other side on a dime, but there are thoughts. Without all that anger from canon, he's giving himself a bit more freedom to really think about what's going on. And angst. Obvs.
> 
> *I know ATLA is a kid's show so they really couldn't get into the idea of mixed kids, but it seems like the more logical conclusion for what Ema would think rather than assume that Zuko is legit Fire Nation. We all know IRL what soldiers do, I don't think this fictional army would be any different. TV-wise the show obviously colour-coded for things like eye colour/hair colour/clothes, etc. to make it easier for viewers to identify the nations, but in this story the reasoning for people not automatically catching onto Zuko's FN identity is that mixed kids are something that is fairly well known. Also a lot of dumb adults, as per canon lol


	15. The Adventure North

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Gaang continues their journey northward and meet a few interesting people on the way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A couple of episodes in one chappie :)
> 
> Enjoy!

They leave Kyoshi Island two days later.

True to their word, Ema and Suki have kept Aang's identity as the Avatar a secret, even from Aang himself. The warriors are still friendly with Zuko despite learning of his Fire Nation roots and they're all sticking to the idea of him being a 'mixed' child, even if he never actually confirms their suspicions aloud.

Zuko's glad that they're finally leaving. They were all starting to get too comfortable. 

Even if his main priority is finding Aang a place to stay, rather than bring him up north, Kyoshi Island is too close to Fire Nation troops to make a permanent home. And Zuko doesn't know how long he can keep travelling; his time is limited.

They put the saddle back on Appa, who is now fully refreshed after taking a nap to recover from his one hundred year nap, and is raring to go. They pack their things and in the span of a week they're saying goodbye again.

Zuko gets a heavy hand on the shoulder from Ema.

"Stop on Kanoya Island when you get a chance. They always have some show or other running."

"I'll try," he says. It's an empty promise.

Suki hugs him and he awkwardly pats her back. She's hugged all of them and it'd be rude to refuse.

He and Sokka are offered their uniforms to keep as honorary members, but they simply don't have the room for it right now. Appa has a lot of flying to do and they can't overburden him. They promise to come back for them when they're headed home. Another empty promise from Zuko, but he's certain Sokka will make the trek if only to see them all again.

"Yip yip!"

And they're off.

They fly out a ways and circle back around to avoid the docks and soon they're aimed south.

"So... where are we going?" Sokka asks.

"It's not far," Zuko says. He has the map unfurled in front of him and his finger's over a red dot.

"You're not bringing us to some ambush, are you?" Sokka asks suspiciously. Zuko doesn't even bother to shoot a glare; Katara slaps his shoulder in retaliation. "Ouch! It was a joke! ... Kind of."

"I just... want to check something. It won't take long."

"Lead the way hotman!" Aang calls out to him from the reins.

"... What did you just call me?" Zuko asks and all three of them are staring at Aang with the same confused expressions.

Aang turns slightly to the side to face them, "it's Fire Nation slang!"

"Slang for _what_?" Zuko asks.

"It means, like, person. Like how Sokka always says 'buddy'."

"I've never heard that in my life."

"But apparently you've never seen another human being in your life either, so I don't know if you're the best source for anything Fire Nation," Sokka points out. This comment earns him a glare. He adds in the same tone he'd normally call him 'buddy', " _Hotman_."

Zuko grits his teeth, "That's not a thing!"

"When I was in the Fire Nation with Kuzon, we'd use it all the time. It was definitely a thing."

"That was a hundred years ago!" Both Sokka and Katara are clearly swayed. Zuko continues to protest, "if I'm not a reliable source, then neither is Aang. He's been in an iceberg for a century; he's more outdated than my uncle and his favourite play is ' _The Lonely Spirit_ '."

"Oh, I like that one!"

" _See_?"

The siblings share a look.

"If you say so..." Katara says and Zuko recognizes that teasing glint in her eyes. "... _Hotman_."

They all burst into laughter and he groans. He sulks and turns around to face the ocean instead. There's only so far to go in a saddle on a bison flying over water. He could toss himself over, drown, and be done with all of this. He considers it.

An island pops into view. He checks his map and yes. Looks about right.

"It's that one." He points and Aang turns to face where he's pointing and soon catches sight of the island too.

Katara and Sokka slide to his side of the saddle to either side of him and lean forward to see.

"What island is that?" Katara asks.

The landmass is drawing nearer and Zuko doesn't answer.

His heart drops. Even with his impaired vision, he knows he's seeing too much grey and not enough height.

No one inquires further as Appa flies them closer and closer. The silence is heavy and uncomfortable as they're all seeing more and more of this island.

It's no bigger than Kyoshi Island. From above it's easier to see it's a deformed oval shape. Any flora and fauna that had once lived here, any homes and people, any animals and buildings, they're all gone. No... not gone. Destroyed. Burned. The surface is grey from ash and where the wind has blown it away there's brown dirt beneath it. The soil itself is too damaged for any person or animal to make this place a home anymore.

"Fire Nation," Sokka comments. There's no denying that.

"But... why?" Aang asks.

Appa circles the island, unwilling to make a descent. There's not so much as a speck of green.

"Why do they do anything?" Sokka says bitterly, "they're insane."

"Why are we here?" Katara asks. The question is meant for Zuko who'd requested they fly over, but she can't take her eyes off the destruction.

He turns back around and stares at the map. He traces the line between here and Kyoshi Island. There's no doubt that this is the right place.

"It's Mutsu Island. I.... wanted to see if..."

All those from Kyoshi Island who'd come to offer aid after a disastrous storm would have been killed right along with the civilians. He'd hoped that maybe there was some other explanation for why they hadn't made it back home, but there's nothing beyond the obvious. His soldiers had struck and hadn't cared for any alliance. Or, more likely, the Kyoshi Warriors hadn't cared for it and had fought to protect the innocent.

If he ever does see Suki again, he can give her closure, but he can't give her back her mom and dad.

"Oh." Sokka returns to his previous spot and Katara follows after a beat.

The joking atmosphere has faded and they're left in awkward silence. Aang tugs the reins until Appa is facing the way they came from.

They resume their travel north.

**OoOoO**

Aang has decided upon their next destination and won't be persuaded that they've had enough pitstops on their journey to the Northern Water Tribe already.

The city of Omashu is famous for two things among the Fire Nation; their grande and useless delivery system, and their Crazy King. The delivery system that runs through the entire city was created before the Crazy King came into leadership and existed in a time where things needed to be delivered outside of the city. It's mostly cut off from everyone else, emulating Ba Sing Se with their big rock walls, and the large chutes and tubes only move things in circles within the city perimeters.

"Welcome to the Earth Kingdom city of Omashu!" Aang says, arms spread out in display.

Appa's landed them on a nearby mountain with the city in the distance and they all disembark with their belongings.

"I used to come here all the time with my friend Bumi."

"Wow, this place is huge! And look at those buildings; I've never seen anything like it!" Katara exclaims. The Earthbending architecture is vastly different from the icey huts of the Southern Water Tribe and the wooden homes constructed on Kyoshi Island.

"Well let's go, slowpokes! The real fun's in the city." Aang leaps into the air, aided with his Airbending.

"You guys go on ahead, I'll stay here with Appa," Zuko sits against the sleepy bison. He drops his bag and scabbard beside him.

"Come on, Zuko, it'll be fun!" Aang falls back to his feet with a protest immediately on his lips.

"This whole thing screams bad idea to me, so no thanks. I'll stay here."

There's no convincing him otherwise and they leave after getting Aang into some sort of disguise. He puts on the cloak Suki gave him and for some reason decides to add hair and a moustache made of bison fur to top off the look. Zuko watches them run off with a sense of relief that he's not involved in this disaster. 

So long as Katara keeps her word to stop Aang from exposing himself as the Avatar. 

The last time the Fire Nation went after Omashu, a good fourty something years ago, they'd failed miserably. It's a lesson not taught in regular schools; Azula and he had learned this from Fire Lord Azulon. It was some General's failure that thankfully died in battle, as Azulon was going to show no favour if he'd come back home. He'd used it as some sort of learning opportunity, looking back it was likely more that failure isn't an option, rather than it's a possibility.

They were fought off by one Master Earthbender, hence the dishonour of the whole affair. Bumi was some Earth Kingdom civilian, but after defending the entire city of Omashu from a Fire Nation Brigade entirely on his own, the people named him their King. 

Which is not at all how royalty works and his title isn't recognized by anyone outside of the city.

There's been no attempt to lay siege on Omashu since. Azulon focused his efforts on expanding the colonies and Ozai's made no mention of it that Zuko's aware of. 

Aang's off to visit his friend the Crazy King and Zuko's content not to be a part of that at all. 

They've taken Momo with them too, leaving him alone with Appa which is not so different from his days with the komodo rhinos. A lot of feeding and petting.

They're not back by nightfall and he decides he'll give it two days before he's concerned. They should have set a return time, but they'd left so quickly. A lesson for next time. 

Maybe he should have gone with them. All he knows of King Bumi are stories and none of them suggest Zuko will be welcomed should he be discovered. And he might be just unhinged enough to connect the dots of his true heritage. His uncle is proof not to underestimate the older generation.

Although he tells himself not to worry, he doesn't get much sleep that night. He blames Appa's snoring.

They're back after dinner with some food for him and Appa. He's already eaten and sets his aside, but it was a kind thought. He will never admit to relief.

Aang and Sokka regale him with tales of their day in Omashu. Something about trials, a waterfall, 'Flopsie', a duel, cabbages, and creeping candy.

"And who could have guessed that the King was my old friend Bumi!" Aang exclaims while tossing their things up to Appa's saddle for their preparations to leave.

"Wasn't that the entire point of us being here? For you to see your friend?" Zuko asks. He crosses his arms and frowns at each of them in turn. They all stare at him with the same look of confusion.

"Wait - you knew that the King was Bumi?" Sokka asks. "Why didn't you say anything?!"

"Because I thought that's why we were here! Everyone knows about Crazy King Bumi."

Katara's hand smacks her forehead and drags all the way down. "That would have saved us a lot of trouble."

"I understand Aang was in an iceberg for his sham of a coronation, but I thought you two had clued him in at some point. He's been talking about Bumi since I met him."

"Well!" Sokka says indignantly, arms crossing, and loses steam as he continues, "I guess no one thought to tell us that the King was named Bumi. Or we weren't paying attention..."

"Anyway, it all worked out in the end," Aang says amiably.

"Did you consider Omashu as an option for a more permanent home?" Zuko asks less casually than he aims for.

"Northern Water Tribe!" Sokka shouts from Appa's other side where he's checking the straps on the saddle.

"Unfortunately, Bumi says he won't be able to teach me Earthbending. So I'll have to keep looking for a Master," Aang explains.

"Why?" he asks.

From Zuko's knowledge, Bumi's the world's best Earthbender.

"He said I need to find someone who will listen and wait," Aang says in that tone that's meant to inspire faith.

But Bumi is also, clearly, very insane.

"That doesn't make any sense."

"I thought so too, but King Bumi isn't... There's not much point arguing with him," Katara says diplomatically.

Zuko won't put up a fuss if the best Earthbender has decided not to train the Avatar. It does, however, mean that they're still moving on north. He could press it some more, but Sokka is unlikely not to get antsy about it.

"He also knows Aang is the Avatar," Katara tacks on casually.

"But we figure the guy's bonkers enough that even if he told people the Avatar was back, they wouldn't believe him," Sokka adds.

Bumi knowing is much less of a concern than leaving the knowledge behind on Kyoshi Island. 

With only a day wasted at Omashu, it at least feels like they're making progress.

**OoOoO**

Progress is too kind of a statement.

They end up being further delayed in a small mining village that's in the beginning stages of being taken over by the Fire Nation. They're starting out slow, like that analogy about boiling frogs.

Some posters here and there reminding the citizens that Earthbending is now outlawed. A slap on the wrist for anyone caught, maybe a broken wrist if they're caught again. A small raise in taxes. Redirection of the village funds. Any possible weapons being taken away before the people can think to strike back. The ores they mine are now Fire Nation property.

The water is sitting lukewarm around them, and only getting hotter.

One of Ozai's first decrees as Fire Lord was the creation of ocean rigs. There's one in development only far out not to be seen by the oceanside villages. The moment it's done, all those Earthbenders they've been tallying secretly will be shipped off to the prison they have helped build.

Katara befriends a boy in town probably Zuko's age. Her and Aang caught him Earthbending and that means she's decided he's their friend now. This whole 'friendship' thing is so far out of Zuko's scope of knowledge, he has to assume she knows what she's doing.

It's after finding his home and inquiring further into his Earthbending that the others get the full image of what's going on; they're instantly horrified. The villagers, not so much. Not yet. So long as the Fire Nation has a use for them, they think they're safe. No amount of contesting on Katara's part convinces Tyro, Haru's father, any differently.

It takes a lot of convincing on his part to get them out of this mining village before Katara decides to take on the soldiers by herself.

"All you're going to do is expose yourself and the rest of us with you. Even if you somehow manage to win, which you won't, they'll come back with more power and destroy this village. The best thing you can do for them is to let this go."

"That's not fair!"

"They're fine and they're going to be fine; we won't be if they find out we're here."

He doesn't tell them about the ocean rig. They'll never leave this stupid town if he shares that tidbit.

It's not like there's anything they can _do_. He has to repeat that to himself as he watches her expression fall. Sokka pats her shoulder in comfort and Aang shifts awkwardly. Fighting will get them nowhere. And most people don't know the Prince's face, but he doesn't know how widespread the news of his scar has gotten. He can't be discovered here.

Besides, fighting his own soldiers is practically the definition of treason. Although he doesn't see the need to imprison all the Earthbenders - surely they'd be more useful at work? Some trainers feel that declawing the chimpcats is best to protect themselves, but a good trainer knows teaching them to turn the claws on the enemy is much more practical. And much less cruel to the poor creatures.

It's not his place to have an opinion on all this anyway. This is how his father wants things done, and his duty is to obey.

"Well, maybe..." Aang tries but he has no plan to share.

"I'm sorry, Katara," Sokka says. "I don't see a way to fix this. Haru's dad said none of the villagers are willing to leave their homes and Zuko said there's no getting the Fire Nation out, so..."

"It doesn't feel right," she says softly, "look at what they did to the Southern Water Tribe; who's to say they won't do the same here?"

"They won't. They're here specifically for the mining and the villagers are the labour they need. There's no sense killing the people who know how to do the job." Zuko knows that doesn't come out right when all three of them simultaneously frown.

Katara relents, despite his poor choice of words.

"I suppose we don't have a choice..."

"Let's say goodbye to Haru and his parents," Sokka suggests.

She nods sadly and they head into town to bid the young teen a final farewell. Zuko stays behind to finish packing. He hasn't said more than a word to the boy anyway, going to say goodbye would be disingenuous.

They're back just as he finishes tying their bags in place.

Katara is a little cheerier after promising Haru that they would visit again someday.

Haru and his father likely won't be around if they do make it back here. The words die in his throat.

Don't get involved, he tells himself.

Get the Avatar to the Northern Water Tribe; that's his priority. When they've secured him there, he'll get to go home. He'll get to see Azula again. He'll take his place by his father's side, as his title promises. He'll regain his father's respect. His mishap of refusing the Agni Kai, then the sun dying, and then him somehow securing a victory will be forgotten and his honour will be without question.

They join him on the saddle and they take off.

"Yip yip!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Omashu and "Imprisoned" all in one. The chapters won't necessarily be in order to the episodes, based on the timeline, and some things will come back into play later (we will see Haru again!). Canon is a bit loose with the time frame for certain things, so I will be taking liberties while keeping it as logical as I can.
> 
> *Things that are unchanged won't be written out in full - the Omashu events happen the same as in canon, which is why it's not fully written, although I added some dialogue to give a bit of context for Zuko's knowledge of things, as he'd have certainly heard of Bumi. I don't see Bumi behaving differently to canon even if Sokka and Katara are 3 years younger, since Aang himself is still the same age.
> 
> Thank you all for the kind feedback for the last chapter! If I have any concerns regarding updating, I will post it on my Tumblr which is under the same URL (IAmAllYetNotAtAll) if you'd like to keep an eye there for update info. I mostly reblog ATLA fanart otherwise. 
> 
> Cheers!


	16. Winter Solstice Pt. 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Gaang finds a village in need of the Avatar's help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the latest chappie! 
> 
> Please enjoy :)

"The clouds are so squishy looking. Doesn't it feel like you could just jump down and land in a big, soft, cottony heap?" Katara says dreamily.

"Maybe you should give it a try," Sokka suggests jokingly. He doesn't look up from his attempt at carving something Zuko can't begin to decipher.

They've taken to flying when it's at least partially cloudy and even a bit at night. The Fire Nation is settled further into the Earth Kingdom than Zuko thought, and they have to use the clouds for cover as much as possible. It's reaching the point of monotony. Even Katara and Aang appear to be getting lethargic. Katara is gazing over the side of the saddle at the clouds and Aang's laying and lazing up by the reins.

If Zuko sharpens his blades any further he'll start causing damage and that's the only thing he can do to occupy himself while they're up in the air like this. Katara has tried talking about whatever pops into her mind, but only Aang engages her. Sokka's been quieter since leaving Kyoshi Island and Zuko wonders if he's starting to get homesick.

Zuko's at that point.

Although he's wanted to be back at home since he left it.

"I'll try it!"

Aang leaps off with his staff in hand, pulling energy seemingly out of thin air. Zuko's lips quirk into a half smile involuntarily. He drops into the fluffy clouds and pops back up on Appa's other side. He lands in the saddle soaked from head to toe and uses a burst of Airbending to dry himself.

"Apparently clouds are just made out of water."

Zuko glances over at Sokka to see his expression turn somehow even more unimpressed. He's sadly finding a bit of consolation in their shared annoyance.

Katara leans further out of the saddle, "what is that?" She points at something below them.

They shift over to her sides and follow her line of sight. They've flown out of their cloudy coverings and the earth beneath them is visible.

"It's like a scar..." she says with a tinge of awe that isn't from amazement.

They're flying above a forest; bright lush trees spread out beneath them. But in the center... a long fissure of darkness well described by Katara - a jagged line like the scar left after being knicked by a blade. Aang tugs the reins and guides them closer.

The odd darkness isn't actually darkness. It's burns.

Trees and grass burnt to the roots. The dirt itself is layered with ash. It hadn't looked so expanse from up in the air, but when they land the destruction circles them completely. Zuko can't spot a single green leaf anymore.

They climb out of the saddle to get a closer look at the damages.

"Listen," Sokka says even if none of them were talking. "It's so quiet. There's no life anywhere."

"Just like Mutsu Island..." Katara adds. Her concerned gaze turns to Aang and she asks, "Aang, are you okay?"

He's staring into the distance with a forlorn look on his face. Zuko can't look at him.

"Fire Nation!" Sokka snaps in disgust, "those evil savages have no respect for-"

"Shh!"

"What? I'm not allowed to be angry?"

She points to Aang who drops down to his knees. Sokka's expression changes to match his sister's.

Aang grabs a handful of ash and lets it slide through his fingers.

"Why would anyone do this? How could I let this happen?" It's mumbled almost too softly for Zuko to hear.

"Aang, you didn't let this happen. It has nothing to do with you," she says, trying to reassure him.

"Yes, it does. It's the Avatar's duty to protect nature. But I don't know how to do my job."

"That's why we're going to the North Pole; to find you a teacher!"

"Yeah, a Waterbending teacher. But there's no one to teach me how to be the Avatar. Monk Gyatso said that Avatar Roku would help me."

"The Avatar before you?" Sokka asks, joining their conversation, "he died over a hundred years ago, how are you supposed to talk to him?"

"I don't know."

"When you went into that Avatar spirit state thing at the Southern Air Temple, his statue glowed. Maybe that means something?"

"He didn't talk though, did he?"

"No..."

"Is now a good time to bring up the whole, 'we're traveling with the prince of the Fire Nation' thing, again? Because that's still an issue for me," Sokka says.

"Sokka!"

Zuko hasn't left Appa's side and doesn't glance his way. He's still absorbing what he's seeing. He doesn't _get_ it. This is obviously the doing of Firebenders - but why? This area couldn't possibly have hosted a village. Was this a message, of sorts? Are there people nearby to whom the message was delivered?

"What? I'm just saying!"

"Leave Zuko alone. Your suspicion is getting old."

"His people are the ones who did this."

"I probably wasn't even alive when this happened," Zuko cuts in, "I had nothing to do with this."

He drags his foot through the ash and knows this can't be more than a few weeks, maybe months, old. But he wouldn't have made any difference anyway. This was his father's doing, and he would have had a good reason for it.

"Yeah, but you probably think this sort of thing is okay."

"Sokka, leave it," Katara says sharply. "Zuko, we don't blame you for this. At least, I don't. We blame those who actually did it and those who made the order."

"How many places have they destroyed? We thought we had it bad, but at least we were left with a home! How many people lived on Mutsu Island?"

Zuko is purposely ignoring Sokka's glare. Every time it feels like Sokka's getting over the fact that he's Fire Nation, going so far as to defend his loyalty to Ema only days ago, they somehow take ten steps backward. His people's actions and his father's orders are going to follow him all the way to the North Pole.

Katara stays silent, hoping ignoring him will stop him from continuing on. She spots an acorn and carefully picks it up. Zuko watches her observe it with wonder and suddenly smile brightly.

"Hey, Aang? Are you ready to be cheered up?" she asks, kneeling by his side. 

"No."

She holds her hand out for him to see and unfurls her fingers. The acorn lies in her palm. "These acorns are everywhere. That means the forest will grow back! Every one of these will be a tall oak tree one day, and all the animals that lived here will come back."

"Thanks, Katara," he says kindly, a bit more enthusiasm in his voice.

She closes his fingers around the acorn.

What's happened here isn't permanent, but it's going to take a long time for it to bloom again.

"Hey, who are you?" Sokka asks as an older gentleman enters the clearing.

The kids stand and watch him approach warily.

"I saw the flying creature and I worried the Fire Nation had returned... But I see you must be Water Tribe. My name is Qiu, I come from Senlin Village. How do you do?"

They give him their usual story while he leads them to the village; they don't really have a reason to follow, but Zuko gets a side-eye from Katara when he tries to point that out. Aang sadly puts on the cloak and hat when the man's back is turned to hide his true heritage.

"The Northern Water Tribe? That's a long way to travel without an adult; has it gone well so far?"

"Oh, yes! We've met some wonderful people," Katara says.

"I'm glad to hear it. I'll see with the village leader if we can get you a bit of food to aid you on your travels. We don't get many visitors around these parts, but unfortunately, we won't be able to host you for long. Things in the village are a bit... unsettled, right now."

"Unsettled how?" Sokka asks.

The question answers itself. Beyond the final row of trees is the entrance to the village, encircled by a tall concrete wall for protection. The wall's been damaged and is crumbling in places with large claw marks dug into its surface in several spots. They walk through the entryway and can see the damage extends to the homes as well; houses seemingly at random are caved in and those odd claw marks can be found in their wooden remains and in the dirt around them.

"What happened here?" Katara asks.

"For the last few days at sunset a spirit monster has come and attacked our village."

"Do you mean some sort of animal is attacking? I don't know that spirits can leave marks like that," Sokka says, pointing at a rather deep claw mark in the dirt, longer than the house beside it.

"No, it's most assuredly a spirit. He is Hei Bai, the black and white spirit. The guardian of this forest."

"Doesn't sound like much of a guardian to me."

Katara elbows her brother sharply.

Qiu gives her a gentle smile, "your brother is unfortunately correct. This is not the Hei Bai we know from our stories. For the past three nights, he has abducted one of our own on top of causing this destruction."

"But... why?" Sokka asks.

"We do not know. We are especially fearful with the winter solstice approaching in a few days."

"What happens then?" Katara asks. 

"As the solstice approaches, the natural world and the Spirit World grow closer and closer until the line between them is blurred completely. Once the solstice is here, there's no telling what will happen."

"And you don't have soldiers or warriors to fight this thing off?" Zuko's heard plenty of stories of spirits entering the natural world in some form or other - mostly visions - and his face is a story of its own, but he hasn't heard of anything recent. Nothing within the last hundred years.

He doesn't know how one would fight a spirit, but it seems like the only option.

"Senlin is a peaceful village; we've never had any trained warriors. Not even since the war has started have we considered it."

"That's irresponsible." Katara's too far to elbow Zuko. She shoots him a disapproving look.

"It might seem as such to you. Water Tribe warriors are world-renown, but that's not our way. Come, our leader is in here."

He's lead them to the center of the village to a larger building and ushers them inside. Another man is in the center of the room and stops chatting with a young woman to greet them.

"Yanlin, these are some visitors I found in the wastelands. They're from the Southern Water Tribe and are making their way to the Northern Water Tribe. I wondered if we might offer them some supplies for their journey?"

"Greetings. It's good to see no harm has come to you. We try to avoid the wastelands, for obvious reasons. Has Qiu filled you in on the current situation going on around these parts?"

"Yes, the... Hei Bai?" Aang says.

"Yes. We would normally love to invite you to stay, we always appreciate visitors, especially from so far away, but I'm afraid it's already nearing sunset and you should make haste as quickly as you can. I'll have someone arrange a few things to ease your journey."

"Thank you-" 

"But maybe we can help!" Katara interrupts her brother.

"There's no need for that. We couldn't possibly enlist the assistance of children. No, let's see you on your way," Yanlin says.

"She's right," Aang says, "we might be able to help. I know a lot of spiritual... stuff."

He loses passion towards the end. Katara presses on.

"And our Grandmother taught us a lot about the Spirit World and spirits, there's a few of them in the South Pole, and maybe if we can see what's going on first hand we might be able to find a way to help. And my brother and cousin are pretty good fighters. They could try to fight it off if it comes to that."

Zuko and Sokka share a look. He doesn't much appreciate being offered up as some sort of mercenary and Sokka less so. He gets that they can't divulge that Aang is the Avatar, by his own doing, but surely she didn't need to bring them into this.

"That's very kind of you, dear, but..." Yanlin hesitates.

"We can't ask you to fight for us, but perhaps if you stay the night and see the spirit for yourselves you might have some guidance on the matter. What do you say, Yanlin? We haven't gotten any closer to a resolution on our own, and the winter solstice is approaching. We can keep them with the others," Qiu says.

The village leader sighs, "maybe an outside view will help, but... we can't guarantee that you'll be safe. We've lost three of our own already. If you're not willing to take this risk, I understand."

"No, we are," Katara says.

"We are?" Sokka mumbles.

Yanlin agrees to let them stay, so long as they stay with the other villagers once night falls.

Katara pulls them all aside after the leader heads out to go collect the rest of the villagers. 

"Aang, do you think you can help? I don't really think fighting is going to be the solution here," she says. "I was just trying to convince him to let us stay."

"I'm not sure. I don't know anything about the Spirit World. It's not like there's someone to teach me this stuff."

"I know..." She gnaws at her bottom lip in worry, "but we have to try something."

"I'll do my best. Maybe whatever I have to do will just... come to me."

"I think you can do it, Aang," she says encouragingly.

Zuko and Sokka exchange another look.

**OoOoO**

Katara convinces them to sneak out of the building through a side exit once all the villagers have arrived and the front entrance has been blocked off. With everyone seemingly secured, Yanlin and Qiu put their focus on the small window by the door to watch for the spirit and don't notice their disappearance.

They walk along the back of the houses all the way to the entrance of the village. They crouch in the shadows behind the last house in the row as the sun begins to set out in the distance.

"So... Aang, are you feeling any spirit... guidance?" Sokka asks.

"No," he admits, "nothing."

"We'll think of something. I'm sure of it." Katara is the only one of them with any modicum of optimism. Even Aang isn't chipping in to agree with her.

"We'll fight if we have to," Zuko adds, hand reaching up to his blades, "can you kill a spirit?"

"We're not killing it!" Katara protests, "we don't need to go that far. Right, Aang?"

"Right..."

The sun sets. The village is bathed in darkness illuminated partially by a three-quarter moon. It's just enough for them to make out each other's expressions.

"Where are you, Hei Bai?" Aang says, raising his voice. He steps out from beneath the house's awning towards the opening in the wall that circles the village. "Well, I uh, hereby ask you to leave this village in peace."

He twirls his staff and jabs it into the dirt. His spine straightens to mimic the posture of a figure of authority. The attempt doesn't quite work for the twelve-year-old Avatar.

Zuko stiffens in anticipation and feels Sokka beside him do the same. There's hardly any wind and it's completely quiet.

Aang shifts his posture back to casual and says, "Okay, well... I guess that's settled then." He glances their way and they all shrug. 

He starts walking back to them when suddenly the darkness behind him shifts into a form.

The Hei Bai is black and white, as the name suggests, with six long limbs and sharp claws and teeth, and is larger than the houses around them. The thing's enormous. Zuko slowly unsheathes his blades.

Katara grabs her brother's arm in a bruising grip. Aang stops as he takes in the look on their faces.

He slowly turns back around.

"You must be the Hei Bai spirit, I-"

It roars in his face and the burst of air shoves Aang back a meter, leaving an indent in the dirt from his shoes dragging through it. The air reaches the three of them still crouched and they hide their faces from the onslaught of dirt and rocks.

"My name's Aang!" he shouts to catch the spirit's attention as it walks past him. "I'm the Avatar and I would like to help. Hey, wait up!"

One of its arms jut out and smashes into a house, the collapsed remains identical to that of the one's destroyed over the previous nights. It roars another burst of energy at a different building and it breaks apart. Aang runs to catch up.

"It doesn't seem interested in what he has to say. We should go help," Sokka says. 

Zuko nods and the two boys stand. Katara, who has yet to let go of Sokka's arm, is pulled to her feet with him. She tugs at his shirt, "I'm sure Aang will figure out the right thing to do."

Her brows and lips are drawn tight with worry. Sokka gently uncurls her fingers from his sleeve.

"We can't leave him to fight that thing alone. He needs help."

As the last word leaves his lips, there's another crash. Zuko pokes his head around the corner and spots Aang crawling out of a broken roof. He rushes out and he can hear Sokka at his heels, not waiting for his sister's further protests.

"I'm just trying to help!" Aang shouts at the spirit. He jumps off the cracked roof and uses his staff to glide closer to the creature that isn't paying him any attention.

"Hey, Hei Bai! Over here!" Sokka yells and throws his boomerang. It bounces off the spirit's back and falls uselessly to the ground.

"Sokka, go back!" Aang lands on a different roof, one still in one piece. He waves his arms in a shooing motion as if willing them to obey.

"We'll fight him together," Sokka says.

"It's the only way, Aang," Zuko adds.

With two quick steps, he's in front of Sokka when the Hei Bai sends a burst of air their way with another roar. He crosses his blades and leans slightly forward to brace himself against the strength of it. It stops after a moment and he glances back at Sokka, who is thankfully still behind him in one piece.

"I don't want to fight, there has to be-"

The Hei Bai swings one long arm at them and Zuko shoves Sokka out of the way and jumps over it himself. He catches the hand with the tip of his blade and watches it cut through the skin, only for it to mend instantly. It didn't even draw a spot of blood.

It _is_ enough to upset the spirit, despite not actually inflicting any damage. Another roar knocks down another house right next to where Zuko and Sokka are standing. 

Sokka lunges for his boomerang. 

Zuko spots one of the middle arms reach out for him, angled where Sokka wouldn't see it. Sokka stands with his prized weapon in hand just in time for Zuko to shove him out of the way of the spirit's paw. it grips him around his torso and lifts him off the ground; it startles him into dropping his blades.

Sokka rights himself easily, his Kyoshi Warrior training coming in handy, and leaps for Zuko. Their fingers graze, but they can't link their hands and Sokka falls back to his feet empty-handed.

With a victim in hand, Hei Bai turns and runs for the forest. Zuko pushes at the fingers around his body, but the grip is too strong to wriggle out of. He moves heat into his hands and holds them again its skin to burn the spirit and hopefully earn his freedom, but it only growls angrily and continues on. He tries launching a few strings of fire at its face, but he's not aimed well enough to get its eyes or mouth.

"Let go of me, you oversized... thing!"

It doesn't listen to him any more than it did the Avatar.

Sokka's boomerang hits the spirit's wrist and is as effective as the first time he'd tried that. Giving up on it, Sokka grabs one of Zuko's blades and runs after them.

He runs past the village entrance and into the forest. He runs until there are no more broken branches he can use to track the Hei Bai. The signs end abruptly as if the thing had vanished into thin air. And no Aang and no Zuko.

He searches a little while longer, but there's nothing to track and no way to find the boys. He sadly returns to the village to find Katara waiting anxiously.

She searches his expression for an answer. He only shakes his head.

They sit by the wall and wait, but when the sun rises there's still no sign of them.

"They'll be back in no time," Sokka says with forced confidence. 

"Yeah... everything'll be fine..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We get Zuko in the Spirit World next. Just finished that chappie so that'll be out in a week or so :)
> 
> Trying my best to keep writing as much as I can! To be fair, this story is a lot more fun to write than it is a chore, so that's not as sad as it sounds :P It really does help knowing that there are people who like this story, so those comments and kuddos really do mean a lot.
> 
> *The villagers weren't named, so I searched Senlin and it came up as a Chinese word meaning 'forest', and so I gave Qiu and Yanlin Chinese-based names as well. 
> 
> **I know the timeline here is a bit shifted, but in the next chapter I give a bit of context for why the events are happening now rather than in two years as in canon.
> 
> *** Again, this storyline is a bit different because I'm trying to keep Aang's identity as the Avatar a secret and I'm going with the idea that people won't automatically assume that's what he is, rather finding it easier to believe he's Airbender only instead. I'm also doing as best as I can to add in realistic backstory, as that was left out a bit in the show. As always, let me know if I can improve anything as we go on :) 
> 
> See you all in the next chapter!


	17. Zuko in the Spirit World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zuko's in the Spirit World.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cheers :)

"Zuzu... Zuzuuu... Wake up!"

A hand the size of his cheek harshly pats said cheek to wake him. It's unpleasant, however effective it may be. He groans and without opening his eyes slaps at the mysterious hand.

The words themselves may as well be from Azula's own mouth, hidden away in his bedroom where propriety loses its necessity, and that's what he thinks for a brief moment. On instinct, he shoos away his sister as he's done hundreds of times since she learned to walk from her room to his.

Once the voice sinks into his fuzzy brain he shoots up into a seated position. That's definitely not his little sister.

Instead, it's a little boy. 

And they're both in a forest.

He's not an expert on different kinds of trees, but they're not the same as those in the forest outside Senlin Village, he's certain of it. The leaves are more pointy, less circular. This boy isn't one he'd seen in the village, either, though he could have been one of those captured in the last few nights. 

Because Zuko is now remembering that he's been captured. His last memory is of the Hei Bai running into the forest with him in its giant hand (paw?) and the village fading out of sight, and then darkness.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Huo. And you're Zuko."

"How do you know that?"

"Welcome to the Spirit World. I'm Huo. This is birdy." He points to the trees and it takes a second for a big red bird to fly between branches in their direction.

The creature is much more fantastical than the name 'birdy' suggests. It's the size of the palace cat before giving birth to the kittens Zuko once sequestered into his room for safeguarding, and until it draws nearer he assumes the thing is red like blood. Birdy lands on the boy's shoulder, talons digging into the shirt and skin beneath it but the boy makes no noise of protest, and the red isn't on the feathers themselves, but fire flowing out of its skin. Its eyes are pure black and it has a long hooked beak with small sharp teeth for catching prey.

He's seen similar creatures drawn in the forbidden books that also talk about dragons, and this looks like it must be a sort of phoenix, or in its family. The fire doesn't seem to be hot, as the boy - Huo, he reminds himself - doesn't flinch when it washes over his cheek from proximity.

Zuko, who used to name every animal he came across in some variation of its own species (his favourite turtleduck will always be duckie), or his mother and sister's names, doesn't comment on 'birdy'.

He accepts that Spirit World is a response to how the child knows of him, even if it isn't really an explanation.

"Come."

Huo grabs his hand and tugs until he gets to his feet. The boy must be only four or five years old, standing as tall as Zuko's hip. He looks like most Fire Nation children; his black hair is drawn high in a phoenix tail, his eyes are brown and wide with that unwavering child-like wonder, and he's donning the usual red garments worn for outdoor play.

Although he'd never gone to school himself, he'd seen the occasional child when his father or Fire Lord Azulon was hosting a party for the nobility, or when wandering Ember Island with his mother back when they'd vacation there during the summer. Maybe because he'd never actually spoken to them, they all sort of blended together in his memory and Huo looks like he would have been running around right next to those other kids.

Except for the burns that run along every inch of skin Zuko can see. They seem separate, with some odd patches of pale skin between the pink, and they're zig-zagged like the burns he's seen on the few assassins that have managed to get near his father, only to meet their end by lightning. They're along his hands, face, and down his neck and crawling beneath his clothes.

He knows that texture to be the same as the scar on his own face; like the burn had peeled the top layer of skin and left behind pink tissue.

He can't begin to guess the origin of such an injury, and he doesn't ask.

His gaze moves on to Birdy, clinging on the shoulder opposite Zuko, but he can feel the warmth flowing from his fiery body despite the distance. It makes him realize just how cold he is. 

He holds out his free hand and stares as he curls and uncurls his fingers a few times only to end up with an empty palm each time.

"Bending doesn't work here. Not for humans. Spirits only."

"Oh." Better not to go down that road any further.

"Where's Aang?" he asks, glancing around as if he'd suddenly appear. But no, there's only forest around them. It's not exactly quiet, either; there are strange noises in the distance that would normally come from various birds and insects, but the sounds aren't quite right.

If this is the Hei Bai's home, he doesn't want to know what other creatures live in these parts.

"The Avatar is with Fang. He's safe." The boy starts walking down a little forest path and, since he hasn't let go of his hand yet, brings Zuko with him.

"And Fang is..." he prompts.

"A friend."

"Alright..." Between him and Aang, he's more worried about himself. Spirit World stuff is in the Avatar job description and not a Fire Nation Prince duty. "Where are we going?"

"Somewhere safe."

"Do you know how I can leave this place? I'm not... dead, right?"

He would remember dying. Although, maybe not? His confidence isn't set in stone on that one.

"No, you're not dead," Huo laughs. He also doesn't add anything else.

"How do I leave this place? I need to get back to the normal world," he rephrases and repeats his question, hoping for an answer.

"You wait."

"Wait for what?"

"The Avatar," he says like Zuko's asked a stupid question.

"That's not entirely helpful, you know," Zuko huffs out a low breath. The boy is probably a spirit of some kind, but he's also a child. It takes effort to mind his temper.

A rustle in the distance stops Zuko in his stride. With a tug to his hand, he keeps Huo in place beside him. The boy stares up at him curiously but doesn't say anything. The sound of breaking branches approaches much quicker than someone at a leisurely pace and the ground beneath their feet shakes under the weight of whatever is drawing nearer.

He picks up the child and darts behind the closest tree, using it for cover. He wraps one arm around Huo and hunches his shoulder in as a sort of barrier. His free hand covers Huo's mouth to force his silence.

They wait. The sound of something big running through a dense forest is much clearer to him now that his good ear is aimed in its direction, and he's annoyed with himself for not catching onto it faster. He slowly lowers into a crouch, legs bent to run if he needs to.

Off the narrow path the trees, branches, and bushes are overgrown, making their little corner well hidden from view.

Everything shakes.

He catches a glimpse of something dark pass by in the corner of his eye behind some packed leaves, but he turns his head and it's already gone. 

The shaking slows, and slows... the sound fades out. It's gone.

Maybe it had looked bigger because he was crouching, but he stands and tries to measure using the tree it passed by and that's at least triple Zuko's height.

"Not all spirits are nice," Huo says.

"Right. You mentioned a safe place?"

It's a riverbank. The river stretches out far enough in both directions that the end is out of sight. The opposite shore, almost too far for him to see, has a thick forest like the one behind them.

Birdy flies off (there are no holes in the boy's shirt where the talons dug in - was he even there at all?), Huo sits by the water and, after a pause, Zuko joins him.

"I don't think we're safer out in the open like this," he points out, "it might be best for us to stay where there's cover."

There's a meter or so between the tree roots and the flowing river and that's all the open space necessary to make them fully visible to anyone wandering the forest.

"This water comes from the ocean," Huo says, dragging his fingers along the water's surface, "she'll see us safe."

"The... ocean spirit? That's La, right?"

"One of her many names, yes."

So the boy is in good favours with the ocean spirit. Good to know.

"I'm assuming you're a spirit too. Are you some sort of child spirit?"

Huo's lips curl up into a smile, "not quite. I'm in this form to heal."

The only reason Zuko doesn't ask is because he knows what it's like for people to stare at the scar over his eye and comment on its 'oddness'. Besides, the boy's burns look as old, or older, than Zuko's own; that can't be what he's talking about.

"Where are the others? The villagers said three people were taken by the Hei Bai."

"They're sleeping in the mist. The forest spirit doesn't want to hurt them, but they're angry and that anger has taken control."

"What's the Hei Bai's plan?"

"They don't have one. Those who are angry are often irrational. You should know this."

"I'm not angry!" he says. Angrily.

Huo hums softly and doesn't press it. He returns to the topic at hand, "you saw the damage done to the forest."

"Except that must have happened months ago. Why would the Hei Bai be upset about that now?"

"With the Avatar's return, spirits are able to make contact with the normal world more easily than during his absence. And with the Winter Solstice only days away, Hei Bai has the strength to fully cross over. There will be stories of appearances all over the globe once the Winter Solstice has passed."

"Still. That's no reason for the spirit to be attacking those villagers."

"Did you not hear me say 'irrational'?" Huo's smile is teasing, like the kind Katara and Sokka share often, and he feels like he's being left out of a joke. "Nonetheless - Hei Bai is acting out towards those nearest to them; like children and animals do before they learn better. It's not as if your people are still around to be the appropriate victims of his anger."

"I'm sure they had their reasons-"

"You don't truly believe that."

"My _father_ would have had his reasons," he bites out.

"We often see things as we want, rather than how they are."

"You're talking like my uncle."

"He's had his journey. Now it's time for yours," Huo gestures to the river. "Look at your reflection."

"You should have left me in the mist instead of trying to do... whatever spirit nonsense this is..." Zuko reluctantly leans forward just enough to see himself in the crystal clear river water.

Huo dips his finger into the water and swirls it. The ripples grow wider and wider until the image of his face warps. It swirls and he blinks the dizziness out of his eyes only to find his reflection different from the one from a moment ago.

Zuko reaches up to touch the unscarred skin around his left eye, patting over the chubby cheek he'd outgrown a year ago. Under his fingertips the skin feels the same, leathery and rough, but the image stays put. Their last family portrait was three years ago, a few months before his mother vanished, and the face staring back at him can't be much older than that.

He can't help immediately thinking back on playing with Azula in the garden while their mother watched and fussed over their dirty clothes. He shakes that thought away and turns to Huo waiting for an explanation.

"The water shows a reflection of your true self... Or, more accurately, what you believe is your true self. What do you see?"

"It's just me. But younger."

"I thought that might be the case. Before Lady Ursa disappeared and before Fire Lord Azulon was killed. That was also before Azula saw you as the only obstacle between her and her goal. It's when you were at your happiest."

"Fire Lord Azulon passed in his sleep," Zuko mutters half-heartedly, attention back on his reflection. He has no interest in the rumours surrounding his grandfather's passing; he's heard them all.

He touches the skin scarred in touch, but smooth in the image before him. He avoids reflective surfaces now, ashamed and afraid of the memories behind the scar over a large portion of his face. Annoyed, even, at his own shame for his looks. That's not meant to be a _boy_ problem - Azula's been wearing makeup for ages and that's not something he's ever had to think about - but he's still a prince and there are certain expectations about how he's meant to present himself.

This is a brand he'll never heal from; his father made sure of that. No article of clothing, no delicately placed hair, nothing will hide this blemish. Nothing but a thick coating of makeup applied precisely by a kind Kyoshi Warrior.

"I like you better with the scar," Huo comments.

Zuko shoots him a stormy glare.

"It shows who you really are, Zuko." He flicks the water and the magic dispels. His image returns to normal and he purposely doesn't look. "It's proof that you stood up for people who couldn't stand up for themselves. That's who you've always been, as best as you could."

He gently taps the water again, and out of the corner of his eye, he can see his reflection disappear entirely. Zuko looks down to watch various people flicker across the surface. Most of them are adults, as much as he can tell from the one-second glimpse, and they're all in various red garments. Some are palace staff, some are merchants, and others are soldiers. 

"Who are these people? I don't recognize them." Not wholly untrue. They're familiar, but no names jump out to him. 

He's never been good with names. Azula always had to whisper the names of various noble people to him when they were visiting. His failing might make him look stupid and would give her a laugh, but they wouldn't benefit her either, and so she helped. Usually.

"These are some of the people whose lives you've impacted in some way or another." Another tap and the image of a young woman stays frozen. This one he knows. He makes an effort to remember the palace staff, at least those that last. She's worked in the kitchen as long as he can remember and would turn a blind eye when he and Azula wanted extra red bean buns too close to bedtime. "Guanyu. She'd been in the kitchen less than a month when she tripped and spilled soup all over your new robes."

"Oh, yeah, I remember that." It was such an insignificant moment that he'd shoved it aside; he hadn't even known that that woman and Guanyu were one and the same. He couldn't even say how old he'd been, four or five, maybe? And it's only somewhat memorable because the soup had still been hot and he'd needed burn ointment for his arm.

"Ozai was furious and you told him you were at fault. She would have lost her employment if you'd told him the truth. A position in the palace is highly coveted; she's easily dispensable."

"Well... yes, but anyone would have done that. It was just an accident. I didn't even remember it until you just brought it up."

"She remembers," Huo says assuredly, "and it's true, quite a few people would have done the same. All of your traveling companions would have. But would your father have done so? Would Azula?"

He stares at the woman's image in the water for a moment and gently drags his hand across the surface to distort it. "No, probably not."

Ozai and Azula would have wanted her gone for something like that, claiming incompetence. He imagines Katara or Aang in that same scenario and knows Huo's right on that count. He can even picture them getting on their hands and knees to help clean, but they aren't high born and wouldn't know anything about propriety. It's not the same thing.

"You follow in Lady Ursa's footsteps and Ozai sees it as a threat."

"A threat?" Zuko says with the hint of cold laughter in his tone, "to what, exactly? I cowered during the Agni Kai; I'm hardly a threat to his title. Not that that's something I would even threaten - why would I want to be Fire Lord now? What would I even do?"

"It's what you would do differently that matters."

"Is that what all this is about? Some ploy to turn me against my father? I'm not friends with the Avatar! I'm only helping him to ease the guilt you people put in my head, not to help him win anything. I am loyal to the Fire Lord, and I am loyal to my father. Stop shoving your agenda on me, I'm not having it."

Zuko stands and takes a couple of furious steps as though he's going to storm off.

"If you leave this clearing, I may not be able to save you from whatever spirit finds you next."

When he spins on his heels with angry words on the tip of his tongue, Huo's not even looking at him. His anger deflates, slightly, in the same way as shouting at his uncle during training only ever earned him gentle reassurances and his anger seemed pointless.

"I'm not interested in your propaganda. If you want to talk to someone interested, go find the Avatar." Zuko returns to his seat.

If they hadn't run across that... _thing_ in the forest, he likely wouldn't heed Huo's warning. But just looking and catching a glimpse of the small space between leaves makes his skin crawl with discomfort.

" _My_ propaganda?" The Spirit laughs. "If you say so, Prince Zuko. How well do you know your history?"

"How long do I have to sit here and listen to you prattling proverbs?"

His deflection is an answer of its own. Where remembering names is a chore, dates are worse. History is probably the most difficult subject for him to learn, aside from Firebending. Huo seems to know plenty about him and must know this.

"Before the dragons taught your ancestors Firebending, before any form of bending existed, the capital city used to be called Etna. Did you know this?"

"No."

"Most people don't. All that remains of that knowledge is in Wan Shi Tong's library. War is... inevitable. That is a part of humanity that we spirits have never been able to fully cleanse away. There have been long, wonderful times of peace, but there will always be one person with too much charm, and power, and goods... What is now the Earth Kingdom was the worst of it; with its large expanse of fertile grounds fit for fighting over. You might find this hard to believe, with what is happening now, but Etna was the most peaceful for a long time."

"Oh really?" Zuko asks drily.

He glances up at the sky, but there is neither sun nor moon to tell the time. He takes stock of himself, as the spirit talks, and he's neither hungry nor tired. At least either of those would be reason to cut him off.

"Of course, your land was much smaller back then. A lot of those Islands off the Earth Kingdom were still attached to the mainland in those times. Etna was mostly your capital city with a few surrounding islands and your ancestors had more pressing matters than war with active volcanoes and yearly hurricane seasons constantly a threat. They struggled to survive and yet they stayed. Us spirits... we thought they were mad. They could have gone south and embraced the cold as the tribes did, or even joined the wars in the Earth Kingdom, but they had their land and they stood by it.

"Spirits decided to give humans the chance to bend the elements in an effort to bring about peace; by dividing you, we were uniting you. We dedicated land to the elements and we created the Avatar to control that balance and keep the peace, as well as one person could. Fire is the most lethal of elements, the most uncontrollable. Water is healing, air is freedom, and earth is steady, but fire? Fire is loyal. That's why your people were chosen to wield it. Because who better to hold an element so unpredictable, than those too loyal to give up? Your people live on islands hit with hurricanes every year, the Fire Lord's own home was built on the oldest dormant volcano because that's your home, and no force in the world can move you.

"Your people's devotion to loyalty is astounding, albeit bewildering at times. And you, Prince Zuko, are as loyal as they come. I know full well there is nothing I, or the Avatar or your traveling companions, can say to convince you that peace is the future, and Fire Lord Ozai is the antithesis of it."

"Okay. Well. If that's it for the history lesson-"

"Next time you see General Iroh," Huo interrupts, "ask him about your great-grandfather. And then you'll have all the information you need to decide what side of your bloodline deserves your loyalty."

"I-"

Birdy flies back into the clearing, beak stained red with blood from its kill. It lands on Huo's shoulder and... melts. Or disintegrates. Zuko can't quite describe the sight of the bird crumbling apart into liquid fire like the magma nestled beneath the foundations of his home. It grows across the boy's body and spreads over his skin, down his clothes, and up to his face, fighting gravity, until his entire body is encased in this dark red substance.

"You may not care for the spirits, Prince Zuko, but a spirit chose you." The voice is no longer that of a young boy. It's gravelly as if spoken through a sore throat and lower and distinctly masculine. "Your legacy will not be your Firebending skills. It will not be how you bowed before your father during the Agni Kai. Prince Zuko, your legacy started the moment the sun died to see you safe, and stretches before you in the decisions you make from here on out."

Zuko had not mapped the boy's scars, but certain parts of his skin light up in rainbow fire and he knows the odd patterns as the remnants of the burns he'd spotted. His entire body is a mismatch of colour and the non-scarred parts are caked on lava.

He crawls back, but he's not scared. He thinks, in his scattered thoughts, that he should be. But there's only awe and reverence - in the same manner his uncle and the Fire Sages speak of spirits. 

"The choice is yours, Zuzu."

His arms thin out and grow wider all in the span of a moment, spreading out into a pair of wings identical to Birdy's. His face shifts and morphs and suddenly he's looking at the phoenix, only several times his initial size and the fire over his body a glorious incandescent swirl of colours. 

The change from human to bird-like creature should put him off a lot more than it is, but Zuko's just... entranced.

Huo flaps his wings and shoots off straight into the sky then veers off into the forest, leaving a trail of gold sparks in his wake.

Fog flows out from the forest in one large wave and he ducks and covers his head as it falls over him.

The world around him fades to black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy holidays folks! 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed this chappie 💖
> 
> *I know the comics expanded on the history of the ATLA universe in various ways, however I'm just sort of making my own canon based on the show itself. I certainly don't mind if you feel like sharing the real info as I might use that to shape different aspects in the future (and I find it interesting!)?  
> **Huo is the phonetic (I think is the right word?) writing of the Chinese symbol for fire, so make of that what you will.  
> *** Etna is the oldest volcano based somewhere in Italy - thought that would be a good fit for the old Fire Nation name! Also -  
> **** I live in a part of Canada that's pretty much devoid of all natural disasters (tornadoes, hurricanes, etc) and I've always thought people were insane to live somewhere that's basically guaranteed to have issues. Like - why live in a flood zone? Or where your house comes with a tornado bunker? Or where there are fires all of the time? And a part of me is bewildered about it - but I'm also awed that people are just so dedicated to their homes that they decide that it's worth it, you know? And I realize some people might feel that way about the area I live because we get insane snowfall for like 6 months out of the year. So in my HC, I think some spirits just... love humans because we're so gosh darn stupid. There's a Tumblr post going around about how aliens would view humans, and it's the same idea here. Someone on the outside would see how humanity functions as completely insane and I love it.
> 
> My tangent is done. Cheers <3


	18. Winter Solstice Pt. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Gaang goes to Crescent Island for the winter solstice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay on this one! It just kept getting longer and longer. I started it like, oh this'll be a lil' bit funny and I can move on to the next episode, har har and then it kinda got a bit more than that. Woops.
> 
> Cheers!

It's 24 hours later when he returns.

In one moment he's in some Spirit World forest and the next he's walking into Senlin village.

He's genuinely surprised to discover that Aang, Katara, and Sokka waited for him after Aang came out of the forest unscathed. He gets a hug from Aang that he refuses to reciprocate and Katara gives his forearm a squeeze. Sokka just sort of eyes him.

"You've been gone for a whole day! Where have you been?" Katara asks.

"It wasn't that interesting. But... I, uh... I might need to use the restroom."

Her nose crinkles in disgust.

Zuko doesn't tell them about his chat with the boy spirit Huo, but Aang has no reservations about sharing his half of the story. He tells them about what Fang (a dragon, apparently) had to tell him. He needs to be at the Fire Temple on Crescent Island by the winter solstice to speak to Avatar Roku.

The winter solstice is three days away, at sunrise on that final day.

Yanlin and Qiu give them enough food to last them the unfortunate detour and they're given a place to sleep for the night. The villagers are content to accept that the last Airbender was able to assuage the spirit, and none of them question the sudden turn of events. The two older men share a knowing look, but the kids are none the wiser.

Aang crawls out of bed first in the morning, grabbing his things on the way out. It's barely stealthy and Zuko doesn't need to wake either Katara or Sokka to follow after him.

The Water Tribe siblings easily convince him that he shouldn't be running into Fire Nation territory alone, and Zuko... He can't exactly object. 

They'd go without him and he knows, in a hesitant sort of way, that they would come back for him before resuming their journey north. But he's less confident about their ability to get there and back undetected. He has to go or all of this will have been for nothing. 

He climbs into the saddle after Sokka, Katara, and Aang and tries not to pout.

**OoOoO**

"You've been carrying that this whole time?"

"Some of us like to think ahead."

"Excuse me?! I think ahead; I make plans! I'm the guy with the plans!" Sokka tugs out his parchment of 'plans' and lets the bottom drop out. It unrolls until it hits the ground. And continues to unroll. The entire canvas is covered in sloppy handwriting that would have earned Zuko a slap on the wrist.

Sokka points aggressively at the scribbles.

Zuko finishes tying the Blue Spirit mask in place. There are few of his mother's things left at the palace, and their shared love of theatre always held a dear place in his heart. He'd wanted something of her's with him and knew the mask could double as a useful cover. Along with the all-black clothing he'd brought too, just in case.

They'd left Senlin Village in the morning and had landed outside the Fire Nation to wait until nightfall before crossing the border and finding Crescent Island. It's a small island with only the Fire Temple at its center, up high on the remnants of a mountain, and a scattering of trees at its base.

It's barely enough covering to hide Appa, but it'll do.

"I'll be back soon. Don't start a fire and don't do anything stupid."

"Are you sure you should go alone?" Katara asks, wringing her hands worriedly.

"I'm still objecting to it," Sokka adds unhelpfully as he works on rolling up the parchment.

"As I said, it'll be easier without someone slowing me down. I'll go in, find the best way to get Aang in, and then I'll be back. Simple."

"If you're sure..." She glances over at Aang as if he might back her up, but he makes no protest.

"We'll wait up for you! And I promise - no fire."

"Why is that not reassuring?" he mutters to himself.

Zuko slings his new scabbard over his shoulder and scales the mountainside up to the temple. 

He'd been to Crescent Island once when he was younger, with Azula and their parents. They attended the inauguration of a new Fire Sage, replacing one who'd recently passed, on behalf of Fire Lord Azulon. It had been fairly quick, overall, although to his eight-year-old self the two hour process had seemed endless.

He has a very vague outline of the building in mind. His confidence stems mostly from knowing there are only five occupants, all of them old men.

He's in and out within the hour, without so much as a glimpse of one of the sages.

As Firebenders draw their strength from the sun, it's not unusual for all of them to have the same sleep schedule; Zuko should have predicted this outcome, but he'd expected a bit more... stealth, in his stealth mission.

They're still awake when he carefully climbs down the mountainside and there is no campfire in sight. Congratulating them might be too condescending, so he passes, but he thinks it. He really thought they were going to find some way to blow their cover while he was away.

"You're back!" Sokka's words are tinged in disbelief.

"How did it go?" Aang asks.

"There's a slight problem," he says. He sets away his sword and mask and then joins them in their haphazard circle. It's a nearly full moon and they can see each other easily without needing a fire to light their view. "The place you need to get to is sealed behind a door."

"We've never gotten through one of those before," Sokka says.

Zuko's learned by now that obvious comments like that, paired with him rolling his eyes, is Sokka's way of being sarcastic. He's also starting to clue in that Sokka rarely says anything that isn't sarcastic. 

"It's sealed similarly to the sanctuary at the Air Temple."

"I was able to open that one easily," Aang says, "this one can't be that much more complicated. Did it have the same sort of pipe-things?"

"Yes, except there are five pipes instead of three, and I think it might require Firebending to trigger the mechanism instead of Airbending."

"Oh..." Aang rubs his chin thoughtfully.

"Isn't that something you can do, Mr. Prince?" Sokka asks.

"I can Firebend, but I _can't_ open the door."

"And why not?"

"I can't do five streams of fire at once. I could do two, maybe three, but definitely not five. And based on what we saw at the Air Temple, fire needs to go up the pipes all at the same time. It was built for the Avatar, after all."

"I see your point," Sokka concedes, "can you describe what you saw? Or even better, draw it for me. Let's see if we can find a way around the fire thing." He tugs a blank scroll and his ink out of his pack and slides it over to Zuko.

Like a child caught doing something wrong, he freezes.

"Ah, um..."

"Anything will help," Katara adds.

"There was the pipes... five of them... and... a big door. Very fancy. Gold trimmings."

"You weren't paying attention at all, were you?" Sokka asks drily.

"Not at all," he admits, head tipping forward in defeat. He saw the door, saw the problem, and sort of went off of that. He didn't get to the 'solution' part. "Fine! I'll go back. It won't take long anyway."

He puts on the mask, grabs his scabbard, and is halfway up the mountain when realization strikes. He climbs back down, grabs the scroll and ink Sokka is holding up over his head for him and stomps away.

"You're welcome!"

"Shut up!"

**OoOoO**

He scribbles down a general outline of the door and tries to put as much detail as possible on the mechanisms. There are five pipes that connect somewhere at the top half of the door over the painted Fire Nation symbol; he can't make out much about how it functions, but it should do. 

Back at their campsite, he brandishes the scroll proudly.

"How long are the pipes?" Sokka asks.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm guessing this," he points at the part of the drawing where the pipes converge, "is where the mechanism triggers to unlock the door. What's the distance between here and the end of the pipes?"

"How should I know? You didn't specify you needed measurements!"

"That's usually the point of diagrams-" Zuko's glare has him cutting himself off, "anyway. Do you think you can get that? I have an idea, but I need the numbers."

"Fine," he huffs out, "now how 'exact' do these numbers need to be? I don't carry a ruler around."

"Use the length of your arm, or your hand, or something. I'm sure you can figure something out. Just make sure to write down the numbers so you don't forget them."

"I hate you."

**OoOoO**

Katara and Aang have both dozed off when he comes back for the third time that night.

Sokka has a parchment spread out in front of him while he squints at his own handwriting in what moonlight is available. Zuko tosses a ball of string on top of his 'diagrams' and sits opposite him.

"There. Happy now?"

"Is this twine?"

"Yeah." He digs in his pocket and produces a partially used roll of twine. He throws it in Sokka's lap.

"Did you steal that or did you actually bring something useful with you?"

"I borrowed it."

"Were you planning on returning it?"

"... I stole it."

"And what's all this?" Sokka sets aside the roll of twine to focus on the ball of it in his lap. He carefully unravels it until he has five strings of various lengths.

"The length of the pipes. The two on the outside are the same length and they're the longest, and the one in the middle was the shortest. You can figure out the rest from there."

"The way your brain works is truly a wonder."

"Shut up," he says half-heartedly. "I'm going to bed. Unlike you, I can't sleep in until midday because I feel like it."

"Not all of us are practically insomniatic."

Zuko doesn't respond. He gets out his bedroll and prepares himself for bed.

"Night, Zuko."

"Goodnight."

He's asleep in minutes.

**OoOoO**

The sun rises and so does Zuko. Katara and Aang are still sleeping soundly and he glances over to where Sokka had been working studiously. He's curled up with his pack as a pillow without bothering to make himself any more comfortable. He has a pile of things beside him that must be his contraption for getting them through the door. 

He approaches to inspect it, careful not to wake up Sokka. There are five new pieces of twine, longer than the one's Zuko had cut himself, tied off at one end around a clump of wax. He can sort of visualize how this is meant to work, but knows Sokka will need to fully explain it to him.

Until the others wake up, he spends his time meditating and training, as he does most days. When they finally join him in the land of the living, they make food and discuss their plans for the night.

"Here's what I've got for the door," Sokka says, "we'll soak the twine in oil and have you guys feed it through the pipe. The part wrapped around wax will go at the top, you'll probably need to stick it to the metal to keep it in place, but it should hold up. The string's long enough to leave some hanging out the bottom that Zuko can set on fire. It won't be exactly at the same time, but the wax will keep the fire lit at the mechanism for the few seconds it should take to trigger it."

"I don't see why it wouldn't work," Zuko hesitantly says. He'd love to poke holes in his plan, just to be spiteful, but he really can't think of any reasons it'll fail.

"But I did realize we have another problem. From Zuko's artistic interpretation of a door, it looks like it's in good shape, unlike the one at the Air Temple, but it's still huge. It's probably going to make a lot of noise when it opens."

"You drew us as stick figures!" Zuko glares at Sokka's drawing of what might be him and Aang near the sanctuary door, but Katara gives him no attention and presses on.

"They'll still be sleeping at that time. Are the sleeping quarters far from the sanctuary?" she asks.

"They're two floors down," Zuko answers, tone still holding a hint of petulance at Sokka's insult.

"But a big place like that is going to have an echo. Our best bet is to get the sages out of the building completely."

"So... I'm on diversion duty?" Katara asks.

"No, _we're_ on diversion duty." Sokka triumphantly holds up a handful of matches, "we're going to set the forest on fire."

Everyone pauses for a second to absorb the information.

"We can't do that!" Aang protests.

"It's not like they haven't done their share of setting things on fire," Sokka defends, "besides... I couldn't think of anything else. Whatever we do, it has to make five old men come running to investigate. We have to go big." 

"I hate to agree," Zuko says, utterly defeated that he and Sokka are on the same page, "but the Fire Sages aren't Master benders. A fire would get them out and will keep them busy long enough for Aang to do what he needs to, but they'll eventually put it out which won't do too much damage to the forest."

"See? I'm a genius."

"I guess if you can't think of anything else..." Aang rubs his hand along the grass beside him.

"We'll throw in a bunch of wet wood," Sokka adds. "Less fire, more smoke. It just needs to look bad from up there."

Aang brightens up at the compromise.

"Okay, one more question," Katara says, "how are they going to know there's a fire if they're asleep? Should we knock down a tree or something? We don't have an ax or anything..."

"Don't even look at my blades," he snaps as Sokka's gaze starts wandering, "you won't need to make any noise. They're Firebenders - they'll sense the fire."

"Are you sure? Because we won't be able to put out that fire ourselves. My Waterbending is still... well, you know."

"I'm sure. I can sense every lit candle in that place, and if you tried, you could sense every water source. Although their techniques might be lacking, no one is more attune with the more in-depth aspects of Firebending than the Fire Sages. It comes with the whole sage thing."

"Good, then it's settled." Sokka rolls up his drawing with a proud smile.

That's the end of the foreseen complications and the rest of the day is spent wasting time until the winter solstice. All but Zuko take a late afternoon nap to have the energy for the sleepless night. Katara wakes up more groggy and cranky than her usual self and that's why Zuko didn't partake. 

Naps make him extra grumpy - he'd rather just go without sleep entirely.

A few hours passed sundown, and far past the old men's bedtime, Sokka and Katara head into the forest to the other side of the island (far from Appa and Momo's hiding place) to start their fire, and Zuko and Aang start climbing the mountain.

More accurately, Zuko climbs and Aang jumps from one peak to the next with graceful bursts of Airbending. He'd be annoyed if he wasn't a bit envious. He's heard of Firebenders using their fire to propel themselves, but he hasn't gotten that far in his training yet.

He's forced Aang into the cloak in the off chance someone spots him, and Zuko's back in his Blue Spirit disguise. They stick to the shadows and follow the path Zuko had to take multiple times the prior night.

Aang, for all his usual bubbly personality, stays quiet when it's needed. He follows Zuko and obeys when gestured to stop or move this way or that.

The sanctuary is on the topmost floor and he gets them there relatively quickly. The building is a circular shape, and the wrap-around hallway is quiet. They walk over to the railing with a view to the front of the temple. At the bottom of the stairs leading to a dock fit for one boat are the trees and flora that will soon be ablaze. 

Zuko sits and unties the small satchel he'd tied to the strap of his scabbard. He extracts the different pieces of twine, careful not to dislodge the wax although Sokka's knots are as good as any professional's. Next is their jar of oil; Zuko has no idea why Sokka had this in his possession, but at least he didn't need to start siphoning it from lanterns. He takes off his mask to see better and gets to work.

Aang stares out into the forest and waits.

"The fire's started," he tells him as he's soaking the twine in oil. "There's a lot of smoke, but I don't see the fire. Is that enough to wake them up?"

"Yeah," Zuko answers distractedly. Sokka didn't actually say how much oil they needed to use, so he's going with 'soaked'.

Although the fire is small and weak, it's enough to awaken a Firebender in tune with their inner flame. Only a few minutes pass until Aang spots four Fire Sages run out, slowing over the steps to avoid tripping over them. 

"There's only four. Where's the last one?" Aang leans forward precariously over the railing to get a better view, but still only counts four.

"I don't know." Zuko puts down the wet strings and joins Aang at the railing. He counts the bobs of grey hair and the results remain the same. "That's weird..."

He reaches out for Aang and tugs him behind a nearby pillar. He shoves a hand over his mouth on reflex, even though he knows he'd keep quiet. Further down the curve of the hallway is slowly approaching shuffling steps which sounds how Zuko imagines an old Fire Sage walks.

The missing one decided to check on the sanctuary. He curses internally.

"Hello?" The Fire Sage rounds the bend and Zuko glances over at the belongings he'd forgotten on the floor. He's not going to make it if he makes a run for it.

He and Aang hold still.

"Avatar?" The man calls out.

Zuko shifts them around the pillar at the same speed as the sage is walking to keep them out of sight. He feels Aang inhale deeply, possibly in fright, and then slowly exhale. Then he feels him start to shake. His chest heaves.

"I would like to help you. My name is Shyu."

Aang inhales sharply and then inhales more. And then just as quickly a sneeze erupts. The force of air out of his mouth blows Zuko's hand off it and the sound echoes through the room. The two boys freeze and the Fire Sage's rustling robes quiet.

"The, uh, the oil made me sneeze," Aang whispers and scratches the back of his neck in embarrassment.

The Fire Sage walks around the pillar to face them, though he leaves a good distance between them.

"Avatar!" He falls to his knees and prostrates himself before them.

The two boys share a look of confusion.

"I don't want to fight you! I am a friend."

"You are?" Aang asks in disbelief.

"I am. And I know why you're here. You wish to speak to Avatar Roku." Shyu slowly gets back to his feet, creaking bones loud in the empty hallway.

"You're meant to be loyal to the Fire Lord, why would you help the Avatar?" Zuko asks. He squints at the old man, trying to find deceit. He's in a robe hastily drawn over his sleep clothes and he's staring up at them, eyes wide with honesty.

"I was not a sage at the time, but my grandfather passed this knowledge on to me. In the past, the Fire Sages were only loyal to the Avatar. When Roku died, the sages eagerly awaited for the new Avatar to arrive, but they never did."

"But I didn't," Aang says, eyes downcast.

"When Fire Lord Sozin started the war, my grandfather and the other sages were forced to follow him, but I never lost hope that someday the Avatar would return. And a couple of weeks ago the statues lit up; they told us the Avatar had returned."

"That must have been when we were at the Air Temple!" Aang says.

"The other sages know this as well?" Zuko asks.

"Yes, but I intercepted the letter meant for Fire Lord Ozai. You're safe for now, Avatar, but I can't promise that you will be for much longer. As soon as he knows, he'll come for you."

"I... I know. And I'll be ready."

"Good - and keep your friends close. You'll need them." Shyu forms the flame hand gesture and bows to Zuko. "My loyalty is to the Avatar, and to you, Prince Zuko."

He steps back, hand instinctively reaching for his blade. 

"How do you-"

"I was there the day the sun died. I know you were chosen by Agni to help the Avatar."

"I think that's enough of that," Zuko cuts him short. Clearly the old man isn't a threat and they're on a tight schedule. "We have to get through the door before the other's come back, That's our priority."

"Yes, yes, of course. I'm afraid the door will not open to anything other than actual Firebending, so your tools won't help you. This door was designed to only let through a fully trained Avatar, or five Fire Sages working together."

"Is there some sort of secret passage, or..." The palace has many of them, and to an untrained eye are easily missed. Although Zuko hasn't seen the telltale notches in any of the walls he's walked past over the last two nights.

"No, but there's still hope. My Firebending may not be up to par with that of the royal family, but I can hold two consistent streams long enough to unlock the door. You would only have to do the other three - unless the Avatar has learned some Firebending already?"

"I haven't, sorry..."

"It's perfectly okay," Shyu smiles kindly, "it's more important that you learn in order, rather than jump ahead. Prince Zuko, do you think you can take care of the other three pipes?"

"I... maybe?" He shifts from one foot to the other, keeping his eyes on the door rather than meet their gazes. "I haven't mastered the breath of life yet, but maybe..."

"Ah!" Shyu claps once in excitement, "I was hoping General Iroh had taught you that trick. After seeing you fight in the Agni Kai, I have full confidence you can handle this. The mechanism at the top needs to be on fire for 3 full seconds; you take the first three, I'll do the other two."

"You fought in an Agni Kai? I thought-"

"I'll do what I can," he cuts off Aang. "Just... give me a second."

He steps in front of the second pipe from the left. The openings are all high off the ground and he'd planned on scaling the thing to get the twine in place. He'll need to aim up and hold the fire longer than Shyu to compensate for their height difference. 

He hates having an audience.

He forms the flame hand symbol in front of his chest and takes in a couple of deep breaths. They've already wasted too much time chatting, the other's will surely return to the building soon. They already know the Avatar has returned, which puts him mildly more at ease regarding their getaway, but that's no excuse to get sloppy.

Pretending it's his uncle beside him and not some stranger calms him as he meditates for a quick second to collect himself. The inner flame nestled in the center of his stomach warms and flickers in anticipation. 

"I'm ready," he tells Shyu.

They take their stances. It's easier to coordinate with another Firebender rather than a non-bending fighter; he can sense the flow of fire in his body and can smoothly follow his lead. Their hands jut forward simultaneously.

He inhales deeply but not so much to be uncomfortable, the way uncle taught him, and exhales in the same moment his inner flame reaches his hands. Rainbow fire bursts forth through his parted lips and out of his palms. The heat tickles the length of his chest up to his tongue, but there's no pain from it.

Since Shyu had been there the day of the Agni Kai, he doesn't startle at his fire's strange colouring and keeps focus.

His breathing wavers and there's a burn in his chest from exhaling a quickly depleting source of oxygen. His hands start shaking next. He tenses his muscles to try and stabilize his stance just long enough to get through this.

Their flames crawl up the length of the pipe. In that part of his stomach designated to his inner flame, he can feel it climbing upwards better than if the metal pipes were transparent. The various streams meet at the top and heat whatever contraption is hidden from view.

There's a click, as loud and echo-y as the mechanism at the Air Temple. Sokka was right on the noise front. 

The doors slowly swing open and the moment Zuko spots space he drops forward, hands on his knees. He breathes in a few hurried breaths and covers his mouth to cover his coughing. 

"You did it, Zuko!" Aang says ecstatically. He skips forward and wraps his arm around Zuko's, tugging him upright in the same movement. He stares up at him with a bright, somewhat proud, grin. Zuko instinctively leans away from the touch. 

"Yeah, I guess so." His words come out scratchy and are followed by a puff of smoke. He motions to the open doorway, "now hurry up." 

"Wish me luck!" Aang drops his arm and rushes into the sanctuary.

Somehow, by some spirit power or other, the doors close behind him.

"Aang?" he calls out, but there's no response. The door must be too thick to hear through. He glances over at Shyu, "he can get out of there, right? Or do we have to do this again?"

"The door can be pushed open from the other side."

"It's a very convoluted system to hide what looked like a single statue." He'd briefly caught a glimpse of the inside and despite the ornate looking room, all he'd really seen on was a statue of Avatar Roku.

"This is a necessary step for an Avatar to reach their full potential. It will teach him how to speak to his past lives and gain their guidance. If something were to happen to the sanctuary, your friend would likely never gather the strength he needs to fulfill his duties."

"If that's the case, I'm surprised it's still standing. Why hasn't the Fire Lord ordered its destruction?"

"I'll tell you what we told the three Fire Lords before you - all temples are connected to the Spirit World. Destroying this building would cause damage to that connection in ways we can't even fathom. The worlds could interlap, the spirits could overtake our world, we could cease to exist completely. There's more risk than supposed reward."

"I see..." As strong-willed as his father, and his father before him, are and were, that's a suitable enough reason not to destroy the Avatar's chance at strength.

It works out for them now, anyway.

He goes to his pile of forgotten things and puts them away in the small satchel. It'll be ruined with the scent of oil dripping off the twine, but he can't very well leave it behind. He'd put down his mask earlier, unfortunately rendering him identifiable by the wandering sage; he puts it back on now in case anyone else should spot him that isn't friendly. He ties it beneath his hair tie and pushes it up to rest on top of his head, within easy reach.

With everything neatly put away, he steps up to the railing and peers over the edge. The sages are making their way over the steep stairs; the fire has been fully extinguished.

There's no way for him to see from here if Sokka and Katara have made it out alright. After a couple of weeks together, the part of him that's grown somewhat fond of them hopes they're safe.

"How long do you think he'll take in there?"

"The solstice has commenced and the Avatar knows he's in a rush - I don't foresee it taking much longer."

The sun has risen above the horizon. Today will be the shortest day of the year.

The sages are still struggling with the steep stairs.

"Do you know the story of the Blue Spirit?" Shyu asks. 

Zuko glances over his shoulder at him - he hasn't moved from his spot near the door, his hands clasped at his front covered by his long robe sleeves. He looks away.

"Of course."

"Everyone knows Lady Ursa was fond of theater. People would often come to blows for a chance to perform for her. Any show that pleased her would garner instant fame across the Fire Nation and they would go on to sell out shows for months."

"And the smallest critique would destroy the whole thing." His mother hated that particular repercussion of the weight of her opinion. "What's your point?"

"I find it interesting. Lady Ursa saw hundreds of plays, musicals, performances of all kinds - stories of the Fire Nation, real and fictional, accurate and some not as much, and yet you choose to carry the Blue Spirit with you."

"You spiritual types are all the same. You're always looking for hidden meaning. It was the first play we saw together; nothing else." He steps back away from the ledge, "you should go. They've reached the door."

"Yes, Prince Zuko." Shyu bows low. "I will do my best to keep them distracted. The opening doors might alert them, so be swift."

"I know."

Shyu rounds the bend and Zuko starts pacing.

They're on the first floor and too far for him to hear anything. He has to hope Aang will be out soon.

It takes three minutes until one of the doors opens. Without needing to activate the mechanism it's not nearly as loud as it was earlier, but Zuko can't confidently say they wouldn't have heard it. Better to treat the situation like they'll be caught any second.

"Zuko!" Aang says far too loudly, running out of the room with a bright smile. 

"Shh!" Zuko puts a finger to his mouth to shush him and tugs down his mask, "let's go. We have to hurry."

He rushes forward to close the door because Aang hadn't bothered, and then tugs the Avatar to the ledge. They run along it to the other side of the building where at the bottom of the cliff are their friends and escape plans. They'd hoped not to alert the sages and their plan A was to hide out until night time. 

Sokka had made a plan B in case that didn't work out which is basically get to Appa and run. Looks like that's their only option now.

Zuko manhandles Aang over the railing as he tries to whisper about whatever had happened behind that door, too excited to think clearly.

"I'll be right behind you."

"Wha-"

Zuko shoves him in the chest hard enough to shove him off the ledge and put distance between him and the rock wall. He opens his glider as he drops and catches himself, as expected. Zuko jumps over the railing and follows after him. He's nimble and precise; dropping down several meters at a time and catching himself on small protruding rocks. It's not as quick as gliding, but he's not far behind the Avatar.

He reaches the bottom and runs to their little campsite. Aang is there, hands gesturing wildly. He doesn't slow down; he grabs a few of their bags and starts tossing them on Appa's saddle. The bison shakes himself awake in anticipation of their journey.

"They know we're here - let's go."

"Aang!" Sokka throws his hands in the air, "why didn't you start with that? We can talk about Roku later!"

"Right, right! Sorry!" 

They've been camping out long enough to be efficient. Their belongings are tied down and Appa takes flight in under a minute.

"Stick low. So long as the sanctuary has their attention they won't look over this way. If we go too high they might spot us."

"You got that buddy?" Aang asks, petting Appa's neck. The bison grunts.

"You said they knew you were here; did they spot you? Do they know Aang is the Avatar?"

"They've known the Avatar's been back for a while," Zuko answers, "when we were at the Air Temple and those statues lit up, it also activated the one here."

"But one of the Fire Sages is on our side," Aang adds.

"He intercepted the letter they sent to the Fire Lord. They're so far removed from other people that they'll never notice that no actions are being taken. And it's not like my father to respond to a letter."

"That's good," she says, though her expression is still thoughtful.

"How did they know we were here?" Sokka asks. "Are you sure that Fire Sage is on our side? Because that seems weird to me."

"The sages based in the four territories are meant to be loyal to the Avatar and aren't meant to follow one leader. Fire Lord Sozin forced the Fire Sages to switch allegiance, but it's not surprising to find that one has stuck to his ancestral loyalties," Zuko explains. "They'd reached inside the building when Aang exited the sanctuary - I was only assuming they heard the door open and close."

"So you rushed us for nothing," Sokka says.

"Better safe than sorry," he says with a shrug.

Sokka huffs and turns to Aang, "alright, so what happened in there?"

Aang regales them with the tale of what occurred behind that locked door. Seeing Roku and getting to speak to him. It's a little while until he has to get to the less pleasant part of the story and tells them Roku's warning about the impending comet. As he speaks, Zuko turns until he's looking over the side of the saddle and doesn't have to face them.

He removes the Blue Spirit mask and stares at the carefully crafted design with swirling memories barely louder than Aang speaking at the reigns.

"It's going to be here in three and a half years; at the end of summer."

"Oh no..." Katara whispers, hand over her mouth. "Doesn't it take years to learn all the elements? How are you supposed to be ready in time?"

"Roku thinks I can do it, and... I don't think I have a choice," he says, eyes downcast.

"Three years is still a long time to prepare," she says, forcing the waver out of her voice to sound optimistic. "We can tell the Northern Water Tribe while we're there - I'm sure they'll help us."

"Did you know about the comet?" Sokka asks.

Zuko hears him, his question piercing over the memory of his mother whispering stories of heroes and vigilantes to him in the dead of night when nightmares would keep him awake.

The saddle goes quiet. He feels their stares on his back.

His left hand comes off the mask and he holds it out, palm up, in a semblance of uncertainty. "Vaguely," he says. His throat is dry from using the breath of life in one big burst like that, and maybe, perhaps, discomfort.

Katara and Aang share a similar expression of betrayal they're both trying to cover up. Sokka, not so much.

"You _did_ ," Sokka bites out, tone accusatory. "You knew there was this giant comet coming that your dad wants to use to destroy the world and you didn't tell us!"

"What difference does it make?" he snaps back, turning around to face them again. The mask falls in his lap.

"Literally all of the difference!" Sokka shouts, "we thought we had all the time we needed for Aang to get trained and now it turns out we don't."

"If Aang fights my father, he's going to get himself killed. It doesn't matter if it's before or after the comet."

"Did you not hear the bit about 'destroying the world'? There is no after the comet! Someone has to take on Ozai before the comet comes and the Avatar is the only option."

"Ruko was obviously exaggerating. If you want to go on a suicide mission, by all means go ahead. It has nothing to do with me."

"What _does_ have to do with you, huh? Why are you even here?" He falls back against the saddle with his arms crossed and expression crosser.

"You know why I'm here." Zuko breaks eye contact. He grabs his mask and shoves it in his pack, instinctively gentle with it.

"Actually, no we don't."

Zuko turns his head to catch him in the corner of his eye. He frowns, "you don't?"

"All dad said is that you want to hide the Avatar and made us promise to give you a chance."

"Oh..." His eyes scan over the three of them. Aang has the full story, but it's clear Hakoda didn't share everything with his kids. They'd been trusting him on his word only and hoping that he didn't turn around and slice the Avatar's throat when they weren't looking.

"Seems giving you a chance was a really stupid thing to do. Not that I didn't already think that."

"I had a vision," he says softly. He stares at the hint of blue peeking out of the edge of his bag. "I had a vision that Aang died by my father's hand. I... He's a kid. You're all just kids. I don't have to agree with you to not want you dead." 

He loses steam towards his last few words and they come out a whisper.

Sokka slides down and turns his back to Zuko. He tugs his pack under his head as a makeshift pillow and uses his coat as a blanket, tucking it in around himself in harsh movements. Zuko assumes that's the end of the conversation and that Sokka's decided ignoring his existence is the way to move forward, but he's surprised to hear him speak.

"You're supposed to want us dead," he mumbles bitterly, "you're fine with him murdering every other kid, but not Aang. You don't make any sense."

He reaches back to pull the hood of his coat over his hair and down over his face. He adds nothing further.

"I'm going to sleep a bit too," Katara adds into the uncomfortable silence, "can you wake me up in an hour?"

"Will do," Aang says. There's a distinct lack of chipper to his tone. He's turned back to face the ocean ahead of them, and Zuko can't tell what he's thinking.

She curls up next to her brother, following his lead in making an improvised bed with her belongings, and Momo tucks himself under her arm. Aang quietly steers them out of Fire Nation territory.

Zuko glares at the water. 

It's not betrayal. That would imply he owed them something. He had no reason to tell them about the comet - it changes nothing. They're making a big deal out of nothing. Yes, his father plans on using the comet to turn the tide of this war in their favour, but it's not about murder. They're not going around killing twelve-year-olds because that's _wrong_.

The Fire Nation is great and they're expanding; that's how humanity works. That's exactly what Huo said - the world is always at war, the greatest nation seizing more control over time.

They don't get it because they're losing.

He tightens the strings on his pack, blocking his view entirely of the Blue Spirit mask.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed! As always I would appreciate any feedback! 
> 
> Cheers <3
> 
> * I know canonically the temple gets destroyed in this episode, but it didn't make sense to me that the temple wouldn't have already been destroyed if there was no consequence to doing so. If the Fire Sages started obeying the Fire Lord, wouldn't they have told him that the Avatar has to go to the temple to get strength or w.e? Unless it was to trap him or something? I dunno. I made up my own HC.


	19. The Storm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wrote this chappie fairly quickly, so posting early for funsies :)
> 
> Enjoy!

No one's talking to him.

Which is an exaggeration, but not entirely.

It only took a couple of hours for Aang to brush aside the matter of the comet and return to his optimistic self. Katara remains civil but doesn't instigate as many conversations as she normally does and it's especially annoying that he notices. Sokka, unsurprisingly, is giving him the full cold shoulder.

He's getting the peace and quiet he's wanted since the start of their journey. It's uncomfortable.

The Water Tribe siblings are both still clearly angry and although they aren't taking it out on him, they do appear to be taking it out on each other. One moment Katara is saying Sokka isn't doing the tent right, another Sokka is picking on his sister until she 'accidentally' encases him in ice. Again.

Their entire trek through a large canyon called 'The Great Divide' (a horribly dramatic name, really) is full of bickering, even when the siblings are separated by a giant rock wall. Zuko, in self-preservation, stays with Aang on the wall rather than pick a side. Some of the irritability is likely from hunger, seeing as they couldn't take their food into the canyon with them, but it's mostly fueled by the feuding tribes they're escorting across.

Aang is too nice and couldn't refuse a chance to help people. They have a flying bison. None of this is necessary.

The whole thing unsurprisingly leads to them getting chased around by giant bugs because, as it turns out, only he and Aang had kept to the 'no food' rule.

Finally safe on the other side of the canyon, Aang lies to extinguish the pointless dispute and the two siblings reconcile and things are slightly less tense. Zuko's kind of impressed with his deception skills.

They're still pretty much ignoring him though.

And now they have no food and barely any water left.

Aang guides Appa down at the sight of the next village. His years of intense training and Aang's upbringing among monks means neither of them is particularly vocal about their hunger, but it's quietly agreed upon that they can't go much longer without eating.

His map doesn't give this tiny ocean-side village a name, but the villagers are dressed in blues and greens and they deem it safe. Appa is left outside of the village itself where there's dry grass for him to eat his fill and the four of them wander into town to refill their provisions.

"Buy your own food, but we're _not_ using your dirty money," Sokka snaps when Zuko once again tries to bring up using his Fire Nation currency.

"You have no money left; what are you going to do? Let these two starve?" Zuko retaliates. "These people will take my money and they won't even question it. And if they _do_ , we can just say we stole it."

"Sokka, we're going to need more food and you heard the vendor - the further north we go, the harder it'll be for us to scavenge or hunt," Katara says, trying to reason with him.

Their last Water Tribe coin had gotten them a small assortment of fruits that Zuko had never seen in his life, and now they're completely out of funds. The climate is going to get colder and dryer as they keep going and from constant attacks from the Fire Nation at the most northern point of the Earth Kingdom - trying to ruin trades for the Northern Water Tribe - the territory hosts few wild animals as well as fruits and vegetables.

They've managed so far with Sokka and Katara's foraging skills, but they're at a point where they're going to need to start trading or buying. And apparently, the Southern Water Tribe hardly had any coins left after the frequent attacks, although their grandmother had selflessly parted with what was left of it.

Zuko's gold coins are their best option, and he'd brought enough to get them north and for his own journey back to the Fire Nation.

"No. I'm not using his money. I can't believe you'd even consider it!"

"You're being stupid," she snaps, losing patience. "We're hungry. We'll stock up once and it'll last us all the way to the North Pole."

"I won't do it. I have morals, Katara!"

She slides her hand down her face in frustration.

Zuko's about to say that they may as well just let Sokka starve and get the rest of them their own food when an old couple walks past them, bickering loudly. The man's carrying fishing gear and the woman is a step behind with a tackle box.

"My joints say there's going to be a storm. A bad one."

Zuko glances skyward, but there's not a cloud in sight.

"Well, it's your joints against my brain."

They'd decided to have their money debate at the docks and apparently they're only a couple of meters from the man's boat, a small thing with one sail. They're arguing too close for them to continue speaking without moving away.

"Then I'll find a new fish hauler and pay him double what you get! How do you like that?"

Sokka spins on the spot and raises his hand high over his head, "I'll do it!"

"You're hired."

"What are you doing?" Katara hisses at him.

"I'm going to make us some money. The right way." He shoots a glare at Zuko who is too busy pinching the bridge of his nose in exasperation to notice.

"This is stupid! You're being stupid! You heard what the lady said, there's going to be a storm."

"I'll be fine." He waves off her concerns and, defeated, she doesn't keep trying.

By the time the boat is almost fully loaded, dark grey clouds have made their appearance in the distance.

"Sokka, I really don't think this is a good idea," Aang says, "look at the sky."

"I'm not going to back out just because of some bad weather. We need the money." Sokka walks on board with the remaining supplies.

"Your friend has sense. You should listen to him!" the wife warns, but Sokka is out of earshot.

"We've been through a hundred years of war and suffering!" the man bellows, "we've been abandoned by the Avatar and beaten by the Fire Nation - a bit of rain can't stop us!"

"Here he goes again..." The woman shakes her head. "I'm leaving! Try not to get yourself struck by lightning."

She walks away, still shaking her head.

Zuko glances over at Katara for some sense of solidarity and she meets his gaze with a resigned sigh. They simultaneously look over at Aang to gauge his reaction, but he's staring at his feet and won't look up.

"Maybe we should go find shelter," Zuko says, "I don't think we're going to get him off the boat."

"I guess you're right..." Katara hesitantly agrees. She rests her hand on Aang's arm to get his attention, "let's get going before the rain starts."

"Alright."

No one in the village would have shelter big enough for Appa and none of them are okay with leaving him out in the rain, so they start their search for shelter outside of the village perimeters. Katara slips to one side of the saddle and stares out at the ocean where the sailboat carrying her brother is progressively getting further from the docks.

Aang spots a cave in the cliffside and Appa swoops in just as a light rain starts. It's tall and deep enough for the flying bison to be comfortable, and it'll do to wait out the storm.

"I'll get a fire started," Zuko says.

Katara wanders to the entrance of the cave to try to catch a glimpse of the boat, but they're too far out to see it. She doesn't move and continues to stare out. Aang drops down next to where Zuko is setting up the campfire and draws his knees up to his chest. There's a weary weight on his shoulders that Zuko's noticed since leaving Crescent Island, but it seems worsened now.

He has the fire burning gold when Katara comes to join them. She hands them the fruit they'd bought and he and Aang start eating slowly. It's all they're going to get for a while.

She's the one to probe into Aang's sour mood. Zuko doesn't know how to start that sort of conversation, nor is he certain he wants to hear what he has to say.

"Aang, are you alright?" she asks softly, "I know you've been having a lot of bad dreams lately."

It's been impossible not to notice him startling himself awake on most nights. He's refused to give more information when prompted by Katara every time it wakes her. Zuko's noticed it most - he probably notices it every time it occurs, seeing as he's still unable to get a full night's sleep himself without some nightmare waking him.

Usually an hour before sunrise, meaning there's no chance of him ever going back to sleep. Just like his own brain to inconvenience him as much as possible.

He's heard Aang shift and turn and breath a little too quickly night after night, but he's so used to that sort of thing from himself that he hasn't thought much about it.

"Do a lot of people feel like I've abandoned them?" Aang asks, ignoring her question. He's picking at his food and couldn't look any less miserable.

"Don't listen to that guy, Aang, he was just a bitter old man."

"Zuko?" Aang prompts.

"Probably, yeah," he says with a shrug. 

"Zuko!" 

"It's okay, Katara. I want the truth, and that guy was right. I did abandon him and everyone else."

"It's not your fault you were trapped in ice for a century. He doesn't know what he's talking about. And yes, maybe there are people that might feel abandoned, but they don't know the truth. Once we're able to tell everyone you're back, they're going to be happy! You'll give them hope again, just like you did for the Southern Water Tribe."

Her words don't break through his shell of misery.

"It was my fault," he whispers, "I wasn't in the ice on accident."

"What do you mean?" she asks.

"It's a long story," he says.

Appa curls up behind him, nuzzling his back, and Momo runs into his lap. 

"We have time," Katara says, and surrounded by support he tells them about what happened nearly a hundred years ago.

He tells them about the day he found out he was the Avatar. How they should have waited until he was sixteen to tell him, as per tradition, but they were worried about approaching dark times, although they didn't explain that any further to him. How his friends would no longer play with him, how expectations of him had shifted in the span of one revelation.

As he'd started to accept his new role, and the weight it carried, he'd overheard a conversation between Gyatso and another monk about sending him off to the Eastern Air Temple for further training.

"That's awful, Aang. I'm so sorry," she says. She reaches out to put her hand on his shoulder in comfort, but he stands and starts pacing the length of the fire. 

"How could they do that to me?" he asks, tone bitter, "they wanted to take away everything I knew and everyone I loved!"

His eyes shimmer and his Airbender tattoos light up with the same blue sheen they'd seen back at the Air Temple. A few rocks around his feet rise from the ground and hover in place and a sweep of wind knocks some of the fire's ashes into the air.

Zuko kills the fire on the few pieces of wood that roll out and Katara leans back from the flickering flames. "Whoa! Hot cinders!" she says to alert Aang.

The glowing stops. Aang walks back to his spot and falls to his knees. He bows his head, "I'm sorry for getting so mad."

"You have the right to be angry after the monks sent you away like that."

"That's... not exactly what happened. I was scared and confused and I... I ran away." He turns his head to the side, eyes on the storm outside. "I left a note for Monk Gyatso and I left with Appa. We got caught in a storm, just like this one. There was lightning and it was raining so hard, we couldn't see where we were going and... we hit the water. I never saw Gyatso again, or any of them. Next thing I knew, I woke up in your arms after you found me in the iceberg."

"Oh, Aang..."

"Then the Fire Nation attacked our temple. My people needed me and I wasn't there."

"You don't know that it would have made a difference."

"The world needed me and I wasn't there to help. The fisherman was right. I abandoned everyone! I'm the worst Avatar in the history of Avatars." His teary eyes reflect firelight and his arms tighten around Momo for comfort.

"You're being too hard on yourself. I think it was meant to be. If you had stayed, you would have been killed along with all the other Airbenders."

"You don't know that."

"I do," Zuko cuts in.

"Huh?" They both glance over at him, probably having forgotten he was there. He doesn't exactly want to participate in this, but it's almost sad listening to Aang go on like this. It's also stupid because he's obviously wrong.

"I can guarantee you that you would have been killed. I suppose Fire Lord Sozin may have imprisoned you instead, but from what I know he wasn't good at using the prisons he was building."

"Then maybe I should have died with them."

"Don't say that!" Katara sounds horrified and Zuko, admittedly, didn't like the way that sounded either.

"At least I wouldn't have to be the last of my people and maybe the Avatar after me would have done something good."

"You know, Katara's the last of a people too," he says.

"I am?" she frowns at him, caught off guard by the strange comment.

"Mhm. You're the very last Waterbender in the Southern Water Tribe and you're not going around crying about it."

"Zuko, don't be mean," she scolds him.

"He's right. You and Sokka lost a lot of your traditions and culture too. A lot of people must have."

"Everyone has lost a lot because of this war, and you lost more than anyone else, Aang," she says. She reaches for his arm and this time he doesn't move away. She wraps her hand around his wrist and squeezes gently. "But you're alive. You can give people hope. You have a chance to make a difference."

"I'm not sure I know how."

"Being the Crown Prince and all, I know a thing or two about expectations, and I also know a lot about failing them horribly. Beyond horribly. But as my uncle would say..." He pauses. He's not good at this cheering up thing, even worse at remembering Iroh's words of wisdom. "Something about a door and a window. I don't actually remember."

"Thank you, Zuko," Katara teases, "that was very inspiring."

"You're welcome."

A flash of lightning illuminates the cave for a split second. Katara glances at the opening, body tense with worry. Rain's pouring down and the thunder and lightning seem to be getting closer.

"Should we go to shore to see if they made it back yet? They have to have turned around when the storm got worse."

"I think both of them are too stubborn to admit defeat on this one. They're probably still at sea. If the ship hasn't capsized already."

"Have you ever heard of bedside manners?" Katara asks. Her tone is genuinely curious for a question that makes him certain he should be saying yes.

"No."

"Figures. We should go looking for them."

They're all in agreement. Zuko has made the smart decision not to object and share his opinion that they're likely already dead.

Momo crawls into Katara's pack to hide from the rain and they all climb onto Appa's saddle. He flies out of the cave and high above the tumultuous waters. They could hear the wind from their shelter, but it's worse being in it. The bison can hardly fly straight and keeps shaking his head to clear the water out of his eyes. The waves are growing higher by the second and he has to keep inclining upwards to avoid being hit.

"Where are they?" Katara has to shout to be heard above the downpour around them and Zuko hardly hears her at all. Lightning strikes the water several waves away and they flinch at the booming thunder that follows.

"Over there!" Aang shouts suddenly, pointing in the distance.

His poor vision means he can't spot the tiny ship, but the other two have their sights on it. Appa dips down, aiming directly for it, but a wave hits him in the side, knocking him off course. Zuko holds the saddle in one hand and grabs Katara's elbow in the other to keep them steady, but the wave was low enough not to reach them. He quickly looks around to take stock, and Aang is still at the reigns and their belongings are, luckily, still attached.

Appa rights himself and they make it to the ship. It's not big enough for Appa to land on and he floats near it as best as he can with the heavy wind pushing against him. The floor of the boat is completely flooded and Zuko would guess only moments from being weighed down completely. Sokka and the fisherman are on the other side of the sail from them, using buckets to toss out the water, but they're hit with a wave and all that water comes right back in.

"Sokka!" Katara calls out to get their attention.

His expression is one of relief when he spots them and his lips move like he's said something, but Zuko can't hear him at all. They drop their buckets and he grabs the old man's bicep to tug him around the sail to where they're waiting. His other hand moves from one surface to another to keep them upright aboard the rocking floorboards.

Sokka eyes the flying bison, but it's clear that both Appa and the ship are moving too much for them to climb onto Appa. Zuko scans the contents of the ship and spots a length of rope. He points to it and says loudly, "Sokka, toss that up!"

It's unlikely that Sokka's heard him, the rushing ocean is deafening, but he looks to where he's pointing and catches on to Zuko's intent. He releases the fisherman's arm and grabs the end of the rope. A throw perfected from years of using a boomerang has it landing right in Zuko's outstretched hand. He ties it around one of the saddle's handles, catches Sokka's eye, and gives him a nod. 

"Hurry up!" Katara shouts and her gaze is on a point beyond the ship. 

Zuko glances up and his stomach drops. A wave higher than the topmost point of the sail and far wider than the small wooden vessel is approaching, getting even higher as it gathers momentum. The two on the boat follow their gazes. They grab onto the rope with all their strength.

They're not going to get away in time, Zuko realizes in that split-second of thought before imminent danger. It's too high. He, Aang, and Katara won't be able to hold onto the saddle if that thing hits them straight on, and the force of it would definitely make Sokka and the old man lose their grip on the rope.

The water's too rough and the sky is dark; how many of them would resurface?

He doesn't have a moment to question his decision. Zuko stands and thrusts his hands forward. Warmth rushes from his stomach to his arms and out of his palms; gold fire bursts out. He pushes and pushes until it reaches the other side of the ship where the wave is approaching. Aang, understanding his plan, joins him. He gets up and spins his staff, using the swirling air to further grow the wall of fire. 

It builds and expands until it just barely covers the height and length of the ship. The flames sputter at the edges and his arms shake with fatigue. His hands drop a touch and he forces them back up. He and Aang hold it in place for the two seconds it takes for the massive wave to reach them.

The sound of steaming water reaches him through the rain. A cloud of smoke rises where the water and fire are meeting in a battle of the elements. 

He holds his stance and Aang continues to spur on his flames.

Katara grabs the saddle and ducks her head. Sokka and the fisherman are holding onto each other and the rope and probably praying.

The wave continues its journey with the tenacity of mother nature. The giant evaporated hole in its center is just large enough to cover them; the water passes over and around them. A smattering of tiny droplets hit them from the remains, but there's no telling that apart from the ongoing rain.

They both stop bending and settle back, breathing deeply.

Zuko tugs on the rope to ensure Sokka and the fisherman still have a proper grip and says loudly for Aang to hear, "let's go before we get hit by another one!"

The Avatar wastes no time. 

"Yip yip!"

Appa flies off. He jerks to one side, launching Sokka and the fisherman to the side and he swoops down to catch them in the saddle. 

Behind them, a strike of lightning hits the ship. It fills with ocean water and within a couple of seconds it's completely gone from sight.

Sokka stares at the spot in the ocean where their vessel had gone under with wide eyes and pale cheeks. The fisherman, however, turns to Zuko and points with a shaking finger.

"Firebender!"

"Very observant," he mutters.

"This Firebender saved your life, so shove it old man," Katara snaps harshly and it catches them all off guard. 

Even when freezing her brother in a block of ice, Zuko's never thought for a second she had a single fierce bone in her body. She and Aang are always so sickeningly nice.

The fisherman doesn't say anything else in the face of her steely glare. When he glances away, she huffs, crosses her arms, and turns to look at the ocean. The clouds are moving south; the storm will pass them by in minutes. 

Appa pops into their cliffside cave for those couple of minutes and once the worst has moved past he flies them out to the village. There's a light drizzling now, but it's nothing compared to what they've just gone through. 

The fisherman's wife is waiting for them at the docks. She immediately starts shouting at her husband, fear and worry lacing her words. They stand awkwardly near them until she's finished.

"You owe these kids an apology. You almost killed this boy with your stubbornness."

"Hmph!" The man walks over to a stand of fish, hopefully his own as he grabs one off the stack. He drops it in Sokka's arms. "Here. Now go away and take that one with you." He stares pointedly at Zuko.

"I'm still getting paid, right?"

The couple simply walks away, resuming their bickering.

Katara pats his shoulder as he sadly hangs his head. He sighs in resignation. He dumps the large fish in his sister's arms and holds his hand out to Zuko.

"I give up. I'll use your stupid money."

Zuko quietly fishes a few coins out of his pocket and drops them into his palm. He stomps off to complete their shopping without another word. Aang glances at him and Katara and then at the fish in her arms.

"I'm gonna go with Sokka."

"I'll have this done before you're back," she says.

"Thanks, Katara." He rushes off after the other boy, leaving Zuko behind with Katara.

"There are some woods over that way," she points further past the docks. "If you can start a fire for me I can take care of this thing."

"Sure. I could do with some drying off."

Beyond the last house is a small wooded area. The rain tapers off and he dries a few sticks to build a small campfire. It's out of sight of any of the villagers and he quickly lights it with a flick of his wrist.

They pull their things off the saddle; all their bags and the fur coats are soaked through. Katara ignores that to focus on cutting the fish first and pulls out her boning knife. She sits by the fire to dry off and gets to work on.

Zuko uses his Firebending to heat his skin until he's dry and bits of stream float off his clothes. He removes his hairband and runs his fingers through his hair to dry it as much as his patience will allow. The roots are still wet, but it's stopped dripping down his back. He ties it back up in a messy bun to keep it out of his face for now.

He spots Katara eyeing his movements and if she hadn't yelled at the fisherman on his behalf a little while ago he might have ignored it.

"Do you want me to do your hair? It won't be completely dry, but-"

"Yes, please," she says and smiles gratefully. "The last time I tried to pull the water out with my Waterbending I froze it."

He snorts in a very undistinguished manner and sits on his knees behind her. He takes off her hairband and unbraids her hair and removes the strange clip holding her 'loopies' together. He takes a minute to dry it out and reties it in a high phoenix tail, the way he's done for Azula in the past. He wouldn't know where to begin trying to replicate her usual hairstyle.

The temporary change doesn't seem to bother her and she returns to the fish that will keep them fed for a few days.

"Thanks, Zuko!"

He shrugs, uncomfortable in the face of her appreciation, and wanders off to their belongings. He starts laying everything out in the hopes of drying it all off as quickly as possible. They were in the middle of the storm for a few minutes and yet no inch is untouched by water. He uses that to keep himself occupied and turns his back to Katara and her knife.

Since leaving the Southern Water Tribe, they've kept themselves fed off a lot of fruits, vegetables, and various nuts, but Sokka and Katara have also kept their meat supply full. Sokka does the hunting or fishing, and Katara prepares it for eating and storing for their next meal. 

Aang, as a vegetarian, usually takes a walk or entertains himself in some way so as to not to see any part of it. He's never voiced any complaints or objections, seeing as they're respectful in how they handle their kill. No part of the animal goes to waste - they use every little bit and what they can't use, they bury next to the nearest tree. To give back to nature, Katara explained when he'd first seen her digging a hole with her bare hands and he couldn't stop himself from asking about it.

Zuko, ashamedly, can't stand to watch any part of the process either. He'll eat whatever she makes with the meat, but his animal loving self doesn't have the stomach to see the in-between steps. He's spent his entire life never having to think about that part and now faced with the realities of it, he turns away.

Katara hasn't commented on his squeamishness, and surprisingly, neither has Sokka.

At least he has a lot of work to keep himself occupied.

The two boys come back within the hour with their arms laden with enough food to last them the rest of their trip north, and a bit extra. With the number of detours they've had so far, it's sensible to be over-prepared.

If all goes well, they'll be at the North Pole in a handful of days.

And the near-death experience appears to have made Sokka forget his decision to never speak to Zuko again, which is kind of nice. Not the talking part so much, but everything is much less stressful when he isn't the target of someone's anger while they're within arms reach of each other at all times.

Sokka hands him a cookie from the stack he'd bought for them as a treat and yes, this is much better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed!
> 
> This chapter encompasses "The Great Divide" and "The Storm". They're almost at the North Pole! I finally get to write Yue soon ❤
> 
> * In canon, they sort of gloss over the matter of food, so I tried to add a bit into this story about how they're keeping themselves fed and some of their struggles. From what I know, most cultures are very respectful regarding hunting and will find ways to pay respects in their own way. I can definitely see the SWT being like that, and also having so little food they wouldn't be able to let anything go to waste anyway. I know in canon Zuko fishes, like once (terribly), but I figure that would come after three years of being on a ship.  
> ** Zuko doing impressions of his family members is literally one of my favourite things ever.  
> *** In Zuko's defense, he's not actually unsympathetic to Aang's issues. He just doesn't show sympathy the same way Katara and Sokka do. As per canon, he has weird roundabout ways of cheering people up. He's also incredibly straightforward lmao

**Author's Note:**

> TBH this story was largely inspired by GoldFire!Zuko because canon is a tease. Also I kind of wanted more Spirit involvement, so I wrote it myself.
> 
> Also, Gen relationships only aside from hints at canon-y stuff because they're all babies.
> 
> I'd love to hear your thoughts :)
> 
> ALSO - please feel free to hit me up on Tumblr! Same URL :) Might post little things relating to this story? If you want to chat about it I'm totes here for it.


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